Pectinase is produced during the natural ripening stages of most fruits. Through this process, it helps soften the fruits’ cell walls. The enzyme breaks down pectins which are found in plant cell walls. This increases the yield of juice extracted from the fruits by 20% and only 150 cm3 are needed for a ton of apples. More juice is produced, because during the reaction, pectinase breaks down pectin into smaller molecules. (Pectin is a polysaccharide)This is beneficial for the fruit juice industry because for example, tons of apple juice is produced and when pectinase is used, fewer apples are needed, and therefore the industry saves money.
Advantages of using pectinase:
- The taste of the juice does not change
- The fruit stays fresher
- The loss of juice decreases and there is a higher yield
- Cutting and peeling of the fruit is easier
- It is an alternative to using chemicals that may be harmful.
Biotechnology and enzymes
Biotechnology is the use of biological processes or living microorganisms in industrial production. Enzymes play a large role in biotechnology. Today, enzymes are used for many applications for example: bakery, cheese making, starch processing and production of fruit juices and other drinks. In these applications, they can improve texture, appearance and nutritional value, and may provide better flavors and aromas. Currently used food enzymes sometimes originate in animals and plants (for example, a starch-digesting enzyme, amylase, can be obtained from germinating barley seeds) but most come from a range of beneficial micro-organisms.
Using enzymes in food production has five main advantages:
- They are biodegradable meaning that they are made of substances that will decay relatively quickly and will decompose naturally
- They are welcomed as an alternative to chemicals like synthetics
- They have fewer side reactions than synthetic chemicals which means that they also give products of high quality and reduce the chances of pollution
-
They allow some processes to be carried out which would otherwise be impossible. (An example is the production of clear apple juice concentrate, which relies on the use of the enzyme, pectinase.)
- So far, there have been no reports of consumer allergies to enzyme residues in food. The levels of enzyme residues appearing in foods are so low that they are highly unlikely ever to cause allergies.
Three Examples of Biotechnology and enzymes
An example of using biotechnology in food is the tenderizing of meat. Meat is tenderized in order to treat tough cuts of meat and make them more acceptable to consumers. The two most often used meat tenderizing enzymes are Papain and Bromelain. Both come from plants (the papaya and the pineapple) Ficin that comes from the fig tree latex is also used for this process.
Washing powders that contain enzymes are called biological washing powders. There are many brands of biological washing powders on the market .Soap made of fatty acid salts does not contain any enzyme. An advantage of using biological washing powder instead of soap is that enzymes are biodegradable which means that they break down easily. If they break down easily it means that they can remove stains of blood and sweat for example off of clothes more efficiently than soap.
The enzyme lactase hydrolyses lactose to give lactose-free milk products. This is very beneficial to people who are lactose intolerant because they are provided with the enzyme that they need in order to break down the dairy products that they consume (Lactose intolerance is a condition resulting from low activity or absence of the enzyme lactase, which is responsible for the digestion of milk sugar.) Lactase produced commercially can be extracted from yeast fungi. Its main commercial use is to break down lactose in milk to make it suitable for people with lactose intolerance. Lactase is also used in the manufacture of ice cream. Because glucose and galactose are sweeter than lactose, lactase produces a more pleasant taste. Lactose also crystallizes at the low temperatures of ice cream, however, in its constituent products stay liquid and contribute to a smoother texture. Lactase is used in the conversion of whey into syrup and is also used as a sweetener in many products.
Hydrolysis of Lactose: