The Application of enzymes in industry

The Application of Enzymes in Industry & Medicine

Enzymes are catalysts in living cells. These enzymes increase the rate of reaction, but can be recovered after the reaction, and not be chemically changed. Enzymes are made up of proteins, which are themselves made up of amino acids. These amino acids are twisted into a ball depending on the sequence of amino acids [1], because it can be any sequence, there are hundreds of enzymes and each enzyme is designed to react with a different substrate, for example amylase found in the saliva reacts with starch to produce glucose. Enzymes are usually larger than the substrate they work on and only a bit of the enzyme actually comes into contact with the substrate. The region that they meet is a small gap called the active site where the substrate slots in forming the substrate/enzyme complex. The substrate then reacts and breaks down into its products but leaves the enzyme intact. This is the Lock and Key Model.

Enzymes have a number of uses in both industry and medicine. I will be focusing on paper and textile industries and also analytical and therapeutic uses in medicine.

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Enzymes have a number of uses in both industry and medicine. I will be focusing on paper and textile industries and also analytical and therapeutic uses in medicine.

[3]A use of enzymes in the paper mill is in the draining of water during wood pulping, which is often the slowest part of the paper making industry. The fine fibres are degraded by enzymes and this means less water is absorbed. This means that the drainage time is lessened and also less energy is needed to dry the paper. The fibres are coloured and have to be bleached. This is usually done with harsh chlorine compounds under high pressures. The costs of building plants capable of containing these pressures are expensive. However enzymes are capable of stripping off the fine surface enzymes and thereby reducing, if not eliminating, the need to bleach

Another use of enzymes is in the textile industry, such as stone washed jeans. Usually pumice stones are used, but with the introduction of cellulose enzymes the jeans industry can completely eliminate the use of stones. As cotton is completely made up of cellulose [2] enzymes weaken the fabric in the same way as stoning. Cellulase enzymes can be used to create new looks whereas stones only had one effect, also stones can over abrade and damage the denim but enzymes

In most people the pancreas produces the hormone insulin, which allows the glucose to be absorbed from the blood. However in some people (diabetics) the pancreas does not produce enough insulin and must inject themselves with the hormone after every meal. Diabetics must also keep an eye on their blood sugar levels and the one way to test the blood sugar level to examine the concentration of glucose in a urine sample. A Clinistix test is, as described in Chemical Storylines by George Burton, is a strip of paper that has the indicator toluidine and the enzyme glucose oxidase. The enzyme converts the glucose in the urine sample to gluconic acid and hydrogen peroxide. The hydrogen peroxide reacts with the toluidine and causes it to change colour. The colour of the strip can be compared to a colour chart to tell the person their blood sugar levels.

It can also be used in helping patients recover from certain ailments such as heart attacks and childhood Leukaemia. [4]Nattokinase is an orally digested enzyme that digests fibrin, the actual clotting material, without risk of bleeding or slowing the wounds healing. This minimises the damage done to the heart muscle. The enzyme asparaginase is used to treat acute childhood leukaemia. The treatment depends on the cancerous cells lacking in the enzyme aspartate- ammonia ligase. This means they cannot synthesise the amino acid L-asparagine.

In conclusion enzymes have many uses in industry. They can affect the look and style of stonewashed jeans. Energy and therefore costs of the paper industry are lowered due to the use of enzymes. Enzymes are also useful in medicine where they can be used for analytical purposes such as in checking a person’s blood sugar levels or even therapeutic uses after heart attacks or helping with acute childhood leukaemia.

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