Plant- and Animal-Derived Enzymes and Their Potential Application in Food Processing and Preservation

Abstract

AbstractEnzymes are biological catalysts which increase the rate of biochemical reactions in living cells. It is important that enzymologist understand the specific action of particular enzyme in a plant or animal tissue and apply these properties in vitro and in a food product. Most enzymes can be used as processing aids and as protection agents against microbial and deteriorative processes. Although the advancements made in recombinant DNA technology and in food applications of microorganisms have resulted in a more practical and economic enzyme production, some of these enzymes are sufficiently abundant in their natural sources to make them amenable to large-scale production (e.g., egg white lysozyme and plant proteases). In this chapter several plant and animal enzymes and their occurrence and potential applications in food industry will be presented. Emphasis will be made on enzyme working on carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids. A section is devoted to miscellaneous enzymes used in food industry, such as phenylalanine ammonia lyase of wheat seedling which metabolizes Phe, thereby rendering foods suitable for PKU patients. In the final section of this chapter, examples of chemical modification of enzymes to improve their properties will be discussed and examples of the studies on chicken egg white lysozyme to enhance its functional and antimicrobial activities, performed in the laboratory of this author, will be presented.KeywordsPlant enzymesAnimal enzymesFood applicationAntimicrobialBioactive peptidesChemical modification