INDUSTRIAL AND MEDICINAL USES

OF ENZYMES

A. Industrial Uses of Enzymes

OXIDOREDUCTASES

1. Glucose oxidase
Glucose oxidase is also called notatin. It utilizes oxygen as an electron acceptor oxidizes
glucose to give hydrogen peroxide and D-glucono-δ-lactone.

Glucose oxidase is used in a variety of industrial activities, including enhancing colour

and flavour, boosting food item persistence, removing glucose from dried eggs, and
removing oxygen from various juices and drinks.

2. Laccase
Laccase is a multi-copper oxidase that catalyzes the oxidation of a single electron of
many phenolic and non-phenolic compounds. It is eco-friendly as it requires molecular
oxygen as a co-substrate for catalysis and yields water as the only by-product.
 Most of its industrial application is based on its ability to oxidize lignin, a component of
lignocellulosic materials, that is useful for the pretreatment for valorization of agro-food
wastes. Along with the use by paper industries to bleach paper pulp, biorefineries also
use laccases to degrade lignocellulosic materials that serve as raw material for
generation of clean biofuels that do not come from oil.

TRANSFERASES

3. Fructosyl Transferase
Fructosyltransferase or FTase catalyzes the transfer of a fructose unit from one
sucrose/fructan to another to produce fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS)/fructan.
 FOS is synthesized by the action of FTases on sucrose after being immobilized in
methacrylamide-based polymeric beads and various lignocellulosic materials. It is then
used as a food ingredient in dairy products like fermented milk, instant powders,
powdered milk, ice cream etc. and other food and soft drinks and also as a nutritional
supplement called prebiotic.

HYDROLASES

4. Pullulanase
Pullulanase is an efficient enzyme that hydrolyzes starch from agricultural wastes etc.
which are degraded to glucose or maltose, and is therefore used for the production of
glucose and maltose syrup in the food industry. The combined application of pullulanase
with other amylolytic enzymes like α-amylases increases the yield and quality of sugar
syrups.

It is also used as an anti-staling agent in the baking industry to improve texture, volume,
and flavor of bakery products as well as in the production of cyclodextrins and
detergents.

5. Xylanase
Xylanase degrades the xylosidic linkages in the xylan (structural component of
hemi-cellulose) backbone of lignocellulosic plant biomass, which ultimately leads to the
hydrolysis of hemicellulose and cellulose.
 This property is used by the food industries where xylan is converted to xylitol which is
used in soft drinks, candies, ice cream and also as a natural sweetener in toothpaste.
Xylanase is also used for the bleaching of wood pulp in paper industries and in the
bioprocessing of textiles. It is used to degrade starch polysaccharides in rich fiber and
barley based animal feed. It is also applicable in waste treatment and production of
ethanol.

6. Cellulases
 Cellulase is used to break down the cellulose of plant cell walls into simple sugars that
can be fermented by microbes to produce fuel in the form of ethanol. It can also lead to
the production of industrially important chemicals, plastics, fibers, detergents and many
other products.

Cellulases can remove cellulose microfibrils that are produced during washing and also
utilise cotton-based materials. During the recycling of paper in the paper and pulp
industry, cellulase is utilized for removing ink. Hydrolysis of cellulose can convert
lignocellulosic and cellulosic wastes into energy sources by the creation of biogas,
ethanol, sugars and other useful end products.

7. Cysteine proteases
Papain, also known as papaya proteinase I, found in papaya, is a cysteine protease
which degrades proteins. These proteases share a common catalytic mechanism that
involves a nucleophilic cysteine thiol in a catalytic triad or dyad.

Papain breaks down tough meat fibres, and is therefore used as an active component of
meat tenderizer powder in food industries. It also has wide ranging commercial
applications in the leather, cosmetic, textiles and detergents.

LYASES

8. Pectate Lyase
Pectin lyases cleave α-D-galacturonan methyl ester by eliminative cleavage to result in
oligosaccharides with 4-deoxy-6-O-methyl-α-D-galactose-4-furanosyl groups at their
non-reducing ends.
 They are the only pectinases that degrade highly esterified pectins found in fruits, into
small molecules by the β-elimination mechanism without producing toxic methanol, and
are therefore used in food industries for clarification of fruit juices and for cider and wine
production. It is also used for retting of plant fibers like ramie, flax, hemp and jute.

9. α-Acetolactate Decarboxylase
α-Acetolactate Decarboxylase decarboxylates α-acetolactate to give acetoin without the
formation of unpleasant tasting α-diacetyl.

It is used as a processing aid for fermentation processes in the brewing and alcohol
industry as in the traditional brewing processes, α-diacetyl is formed which has to further
 reduce to acetoin over a 2- to 4-week maturation period. This maturation period can be
skipped by using this enzyme.

ISOMERASES

10. Glucose Isomerase

Glucose isomerase catalyzes the reversible isomerization of D-glucose to D-fructose and

D-xylose to D-xylulose.

It is used in the food industry (beverage, baking, canning, and confectionery) to produce
high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) which is a mixture of glucose and fructose and is
sweeter than sucrose and also does not crystallize. D-fructose plays an important role as
a diabetic sweetener because it is only slowly reabsorbed by the stomach and does not
influence the glucose level in blood.
It is also used in ethanol production as xylulose can be fermented to produce ethanol by
conventional yeasts.
B. Medicinal Uses of Enzymes

1. ASPARAGINASE
Asparginase catalyzes the hydrolysis of L-asparagine to aspartate (L-aspartic acid) and
ammonia and is used as an inhibitor of protein synthesis in tumor cells as it deprives
them of the amino acid- asparagine.

L-asparaginase is an integral component of treatment for patients with Acute

lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), Hodgkin disease and acute myelocytic leukemia. This
clinically useful enzyme can be produced from bacteria like Escherichia coli and Erwinia
chrysanthemi.

2. COLLAGENASE
Collagenase catalyzes the hydrolysis of the peptide bonds in collagen between a neutral
amino acid (X) and glycine to result in smaller collagen fragments and is therefore used
in ointments for dermal application.
 Collagen based ointments remove dead skin tissue and aid in wound healing and are
used to treat severe burns or skin ulcers. This breakdown of collagen helps in the
generation of new tissues.

3. GLUTAMINASE
Glutaminase is an amidohydrolase that converts glutamine to glutamate and ammonia.
In humans, this enzyme exists as two isoenzymes- kidney type GLS1 and liver type
GLS2.

This enzyme is used in the treatment of acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL). Glutaminase
inhibition is done by the epigenetic silencing of glutaminase (GLS2) which prevents the
growth of tumors in colon and liver cancer.

4. LYSOZYME
Lysozyme catalyzes the hydrolysis of 1,4-beta-linkages between glycosidic residues-
N-acetylmuramic acid and N-acetyl-D-glucosamine in peptidoglycan.
 It is used as an antimicrobial agent as it cleaves the peptidoglycan component of
bacterial cell walls and leads to cell death. This control on the growth of susceptible
bacteria and modulation of host immunity against infections and depressions of immune
responses is utilised for therapeutic use.

5. RIBONUCLEASE
Ribonuclease catalyzes the degradation of ribonucleic acid (RNA) by breaking down
RNA into smaller components by cleaving either single stranded RNA (RNase A) or a
RNA-DNA hybrid (RNase H).

Ribonuclease inhibits the reproduction of viruses in infected cell cultures and laboratory
animals. This antiviral property is used against RNA-containing viruses like polio,
tick-borne encephalitis, and rabies viruses.

6. STREPTOKINASE
Streptokinase catalyzes the conversion of additional Plasminogen to plasmin by binding
with free circulating plasminogen or with plasmin to form a complex.

This enzyme acts as an antithrombotic which can be injected into a vein to break down
clots in case of myocardial infarction (heart attack), pulmonary embolism, and arterial
thromboembolism.

7. TRYPSIN
Trypsin is a serine protease that catalyzes the hydrolysis of peptide bonds between the
carboxylic acid group of lysine or arginine and the amino group of the adjacent amino
acid residue. It therefore breaks down proteins into smaller peptides that are further
hydrolyzed into amino acids by other proteases and make them available for absorption
in the bloodstream.
 Trypsin is administered to people with deficiency of digestive enzymes. It is also given in
combination with bromelain and rutin for treatment of osteoarthritis. It can also be
applied directly on wounds and ulcers to improve healing and remove dead tissue.

8. URICASE
Uricase catalyzes the convertion of uric acid into allantoin, which is a water-soluble
compound and is easily excreted by the kidney.

This enzyme is used to prevent severe hyperuricemia or commonly known as Gout that
is caused by a genetic mutation or can also be induced in patients with malignancies
who are undergoing chemotherapy. In these conditions, the accumulation of uric acid
can form crystals that are solubilized by uricase; which is otherwise sedimented as uric
acid crystals causing joint pains.

9. LACTAMASE
β-Lactamase catalyzes the hydrolysis of the peptide bond of the characteristic
four-membered beta-lactam ring in the peptidoglycan cell wall of gram negative bacteria.
 These enzymes are therefore used in antibiotics to manage and treat bacterial infections
as it stops bacterial growth by inhibiting proteins that are necessary for the cross-linking
process in cell wall synthesis of bacteria.

10. PENICILLIN ACYLASE

Penicillin Acylase catalyses the hydrolysis of the linear amide bond in penicillin
molecules to produce the β-lactam nucleus, 6-aminopenicillanic acid (6-APA) and the
corresponding carboxylic acid.
This enzyme is used for the production of semi-synthetic β-lactam antibiotics that have
broad specificity. It is also used in the hydrolysis of cephalosporins, which yield another
group of common antibiotics. They can be found in microorganisms such as bacteria,
yeast, and fungi.