Enzymes in Meat, Fish, and Poultry Products Processing and Preservation-I

Abstract

AbstractEnzymes are used in the food industry widespread to modify and enhance the nutritional value, and functional and sensorial characteristics such as color, smell, and flavor of different types of food products.The technological applications of enzymes in the meat industry are a hot topic nowadays. The most common application of enzymes in red meat products is to increase the meat tenderness. The toughness of beef meat produced from dairy cattle is related to the volume of connective tissue, mainly collagen. Proteolytic enzymes have the potential to tenderize lower-grade meats and increase their market value. Consumers’ demand for fresh meat without undesirable excessive fat and salt content leads the manufacturer to consider new possibilities of enzyme application to increase the carcass efficiency by using more effective slaughtering techniques.The utilization of enzymes to maximize the by-products’ efficiency is an undeniable possibility.The common by-products of the poultry industry are feathers, which can be digested by enzymes and applied for animal feed and also nonfood industries such as films, coating, and packaging due to their high amount of keratins and hydrophobic amino acids. Fat, bone, and mechanical flesh are common by-products of meat processing, which can be digested by enzymatic reactions and used for their special meat properties. Enzymes also can be applied in seafood processing for deskinning and descaling, production of caviar, and recovery of by-products. In the current chapter, the potential application of enzymes in the meat, poultry, and seafood industry will be discussed.KeywordsMeatPoultrySeafoodEnzymesPreservation