Industrial Uses of Enzymes

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Industrial Uses of Enzymes

• IB Topic 3.6

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Industries use enzymes

• Leather tanning
• Hides are soften hair is removed using
  proteases
• Brewing
• Enzymes in barley grains are used to convert
  starch in grain to sugars
• These sugars are converted to ethanol by the
  fermentation of yeast
• Cheese manufacturing
• Proteins in milk are coagulated (made insoluble)
  using the enzyme rennet/rennin
• Biotechnology

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Advantages of enzymes as industrial catalysts

• Enzymes are produced by living cells, but may be
  separated from cells and continue to function
  outside the cell
• Advantages
• Specific
• Efficient
• Requires a tiny quantity to catalyse the
  production of a huge quantity of product

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Sources of industrial enzymes

• Plants and animal sources
• Pineapple juice enzymes are used to treat
  thromboses
• Microorganisms (bacteria fungi)
• Cultured economically and at high growth rates
• Some can occur naturally at extreme environmental
  conditions
• Contain enzymes that are able to function under
  extreme temperatures and pH
• Example enzymes from hot springs bacteria are
  used in biological washing powders

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Lactose-free milk an example of industrial use
of enzymes

• People unable to produce lactase in their
  pancreatic juice or surface of the villi of the
  small intestine fail to digest milk sugar.
• Therefore, lactose passes to the large intestine
  (without being hydrolyzed)
• Bacteria in the large intestine feed on the
  lactose
• Produces fatty acids and methane
• Causes flatulence and diarrhea
• This is called lactose intolerance

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More on lactase

• The enzyme lactase is produced in the gut of all
  human babies while they are dependent on milk
• However, it is only found in adults from Northern
  Europe (and their descendents) and a few African
  tribes
• People from the Orient, Arabia, India, most
  African people and those from the Mediterranean
  typically produce little or no lactase as adults

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So, theres lactose-free milk

• Enzyme technology using lactase obtained from
  bacteria
• Lactose free milk is produced by passing milk
  through a column containing immobilized lactase
• The enzyme is obtained from bacteria, purified,
  and enclosed in capsules