Chapter 15 - Applications of extremozymes in the food industry

Abstract

Enzymes are biological catalysts with high specificity. The food industry makes use of enzymes in a wide range of applications. Recently, extremophilic microorganisms that can survive under extreme conditions are of interest as a novel source of enzymes. Extremozymes are capable of catalyzing reactions under extreme conditions such as high temperatures, extreme pH values, high salinity and radiation, low water activity, and high metal ion concentration. Extremozymes have several applications in food industry such as clarification and extraction of fruit juice, winemaking, production of lactose-free milk, oligosaccharides synthesis, interesterification of fats and production of fatty acids, synthesis of flavoring compounds, and dough preparation and proofing. Cold-active enzymes, produced by cold-adapted microorganisms, are an important group of extremozymes that assist to reduce the amount of energy, and therefore, the cost of food processing. In this chapter, it was aimed to provide a comprehensive literature review about extremozymes produced by extremophiles used in the food industry.