Applications of enzymes

Nadish Namish Bhardwaj

What are enzymes?
Enzymes are proteins, the basic components of all living things. They perform the
function of catalysts, which causes biochemical reactions to proceed more
quickly than they otherwise would. Without enzymes, those reactions wouldn't
take place or would happen too slowly to support life without enzymes. For
instance, digestion would not be possible.
Enzymes are made up of chains of amino acids, just like all proteins are.
Enzymes catalyze the most of biochemical reactions in living things, including
humans, plants, and animals. The actions of these enzymes vary depending on
the order of their amino acids. Depending on its three-dimensional structure,
specifically the active site of the enzyme molecule, each enzyme has a unique
action.
How do enzymes work?
Some enzymes help in the breakdown of large molecules into smaller pieces that
the body can absorb more easily and quickly. Other enzymes help in the joining
of two molecules to form a new molecule. Because enzymes are extremely
selective catalysts, they only speed up certain types of reactions.
Substrates are the molecules that an enzyme uses to work. The active site on the
enzyme is where the substrates bind. The interaction between an enzyme and a
substrate is explained by two theories. According to the "lock-and-key" theory, an
enzyme's active site is specifically built to facilitate a given substrate. The active
site and substrate don't fit together perfectly in the induced-fit theory; instead,
they both change their shapes to connect.
Whatever the case, once the substrates bind to the enzyme's active site, the reactions that follow
accelerate significantly — over a millionfold. The enzyme then proceeds to catalyze additional
chemical reactions after the new product or molecule separates from it as a result of the chemical
reactions.
For example Maltose, or malt sugar, is produced when the salivary enzyme amylase binds to starch
and catalyzes hydrolysis, which is the breakdown of a compound due to a reaction with water.
Applications of Enzymes in the Human Body
Amylase

Amylase is responsible for breaking the bonds in starches, polysaccharides, and

complex carbohydrates to create simple sugars that are simpler to absorb.
The first stage of the chemical digestion of food is salivary amylase. This is one
of the main causes for why it's so necessary for people to take their time and
chew their food well while they eat.
Additional amylase that the pancreas releases into the proximal small intestine
further breaks down starches, polysaccharides, and complex carbohydrates as
they move through the digestive system.
Protease

 Protease is another essential enzyme for the effective breakdown of food.

Proline dipeptides from gluten and protein, as well as proteins and
polypeptides from plants and animals, are all primarily broken down by it.
Proteases are released by the pancreas into the proximal small intestine,
where they mix with proteins that have already been altered by gastric
secretions and break them down into amino acids, which are then absorbed
and used by the body.
Lipase

The body needs a different enzyme to break down fats, oils, and triglycerides
even though amylase and protease are excellent at breaking down proteins and
carbohydrates. Here is where lipase works. For the complete breakdown of fats
into their smaller fatty acid components, lipase is required.
 Applications of Enzymes in the Food
Industry
Flour Product
Amylase: Expands bread volume, softens texture, quickens batter Lipase: Delays the ageing of starch;
fermentation, improves bread tissue structure, increases softness of inner increases the bread's volume and
organization, creates a decent and stable bread color, speeds up the volume stability; increases the
furnace into growing, improves bread elasticity and flavor, and lengthens bread's quality and capacity for
bread's storage time. preservation; reduces spots in the
Protease: weakens the gluten to soften the batter and improve its batter; prevents noodles from
viscoelasticity, extensibility, and smoothness. It also reduces the batter's sticking to boiling water; makes
blending time, which enhances the mechanical properties and baking them hard to break; increases tensile
quality, makes the item easier to shape, and improves flavor. resistance and elongation of flour.
Juices

 Amylases are used to remove the starch from the juice that generates the
unwanted haze in the juice and is also in charge of the gel formation in the
juice during storage. The Pectinase enzyme eliminates the soluble pectin
from the juice.
Dairy

 The first step in the technology of making cheese is the use of rennet to
curdle milk. Different forms of proteases are used to accelerate the ageing of
the cheese, as a functional characteristic, and alter milk protein to lessen the
allergic effects of cow milk products in baby meals. Lipase is mostly used in
cheese maturation to enhance flavour. Typically, lactase is used to hydrolyze
lactose into glucose and galactose sugars, enhancing the solubility and
sweetness of various dairy products.
Thank You