Enzymes in Functional Food Development

Abstract

Enzymes are ubiquitous biocatalysts, represent a consolidated strategy in various food industries for the transformation of one biological compound to another. In contrast to conventional synthesis, enzymatic synthesis is an important technological advancement as a consequence of sustainability, substrate selectivity, nontoxicity, and low energy input. Therefore, there has been a growing trend in the use of free and immobilized enzymes in various food industrial applications, including the manufacturing of several functional foods and ingredients. Functional foods with health benefits beyond nutrition have gained much attention due to some factors such as interest in health-consciousness and the growing market. A variety of functional foods can be considered to be those fortified, wholes, enriched, or enhanced foods that represent physiological health benefits beyond the essential nutrients provision (e.g., vitamins and minerals) when consumed in adequate amounts on a regular basis. The initial components in functional food supplements naturally consist of fruit, food, beverage, grains, and supplement sectors at a low level. Nutraceuticals or functional food could be produced from the enzymatic reaction utilizable in one of the several areas of food science and technology, that is experiencing fast growth in recent years. Functional food could be enzymatically derived from various reactions: l-asparaginase, an intercellular enzyme, is used in the baking industry which suppresses acrylamide production. Addition of asparaginase is a recommended strategy to decrease the formation of acrylamide, as it catalysis the hydrolysis of asparagine to aspartic acid an amino acid with high nutritive value. Carbohydrate active enzymes such as β-glucanase which is able to proceed on glucose polysaccharides and to further develop the production of β-glucans, the saccharide made up of multiple sugar molecules. β-Glucan may offer a number of health benefits, including lowering cholesterol, improving blood sugar management, and boosting the immune system which is produced by the enzymatic process of beta d-glucose polysaccharide naturally occurring in the cell wall of cereals like oat. Chlorophyllase (Chlase) is widely distributed in the chloroplast, thylakoid membrane, and etioplast of higher plants, such as ferns, mosses, brown and red algae, and diatoms. Chlase catalysis is the degradation of chlorophyll to chlorophyllide (also called Chlide), which is introduced as a food colorant. l-Glutaminase is a catalyst for the production of l-theanine, a free amino acid with many health benefits. l-Theanine synthesis occurs from l-glutamine and ethylamine substrates through the transpeptidation reaction of l-glutaminase, and a demand for this amino acid is expected to grow rapidly in the industry. Lipids such as CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) are in the group of functional food, a result of CLA production from natural oil in the presence of a lipase. CLA is a natural derivative of essential fatty acid, linoleic acid which shows many beneficial effects on the immune system, role in obesity control and anticarcinogenic behavior phytases may find application in food processing to produce functional foods and phytic acid degradation. Phytase is able to decrease the antinutritional effect of phytate (inorganic phosphate complex) adverse impact of inorganic P excretion to the environment while increasing the digestibility of phosphorous (P), calcium, amino acids, and energy. γ-Amino butyric acid (GABA) is an active protein, in rice germ using protease or additives: produced by the decarboxylation of glutamic acid, GABA is catalyzed by glutamate decarboxylase, GABA functions as the main inhibitory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system. Tannase is able to catalyze the production of tea beverages while maintaining the tea’s original deep flavor. Engineering of enzymes is a potential strategy in the design of food development according to the specificity and enzyme structural changes. The next future step toward the commercialization of the enzymatic approach in food processing is to enhance their efficiency and mitigate adverse effects on the sensory properties of food products. In this chapter, we mainly highlighted the importance of selected enzymes on food development.