Food Industry

Enzymes offer potential for many applications for the improvement of foods. The food industry utilizes a variety of enzymes for processing of foods. Examples are the production of various types of syrups from starch or sucrose (α- and β­-amylases, invertase, and glucose isomerase), meat / protein processing using proteases and the use of lactase in dairy industry and use of enzymes in fruit juice and brewing industries.

Economic factors such as achievement of optimum yields and efficient recovery of the enzyme are the main deterrents in the use of enzymes. Changing values in society will in time make enzyme applications more attractive to the food industry.

Research is continuing on the commercially viable enzymes in use today to improve various properties such as thermostabilities, specificities, and catalytic efficiencies. New and unique enzymes continue to be developed for use in enzymatic reactions to produce food ingredients.

Lipases are very commonly applied biocatalysts and bring about a wide range of bioconversions such as hydrolysis, interesterification, transesterification, direct esterification from acid and alcohol, alcoholysis, acidolysis and aminolysis. Lipases can act on a variety of substrates including natural oils, synthetic triglycerides and esters of fatty acids. They are resistant to solvents and are exploited in a broad spectrum of biotechnological applications.

The immobilization of lipases further contributes to their application, especially since recycling is made possible by this formulation technology. Recycling of enzyme is mandatory for making such food processes cost-effective.