TABLE 1.
Examples of uses of enzymes in the food industry 1.
| Application | Enzyme | Catalytic action | Technological effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baked goods | Lipases | Hydrolysis of lipids | Improving handling of dough, enhancing dough strength and stability, increasing bread oven spring and specific volume |
| Hemicellulases | Hydrolysis of hemicelluloses (arabinoxylan backbone) | Improved distribution of flour and water; softer, flexible and stable dough which is easy to handle, improved sensory properties and volume of bread | |
| Dairy | Proteases | Hydrolysis of proteins | Separation of milk into solid (curd) and liquid (whey) phases in cheese making |
| Lysozyme | Hydrolysis of peptidoglycans in the cell wall of Gram-positive bacteria | Inactivation of bacteria causing spoilage in cheese products, causing “late blowing” | |
| Fruit and vegetable juices | Pectinases | Hydrolysis of pectins (a polysaccharide in plant cell walls) | Decreased viscosity of the fruit juice, higher recovery yields and clarified juice |
| Meat and fish | Transglutaminases | Cross-linking of proteins | Improved texture, cohesiveness, and shelf life of meat products, harder fish protein paste |
| Sugar | Amylases | Hydrolysis of starch | Production of a large variety of sugars and sugar syrups from starch |
| Wine | Pectinases and hemicellulases | Hydrolysis of pectin and hemicelluloses [plant cell wall components) | Improved extraction and clarified grape juice for wine making |
| Beer | Amylases | Hydrolysis of starch | Increased concentration of fermentable sugars, hence, higher ethanol concentration in beers |