The core value of industrial enzymes lies in replacing traditional chemical catalysts - not only can they improve reaction efficiency, but they can also reduce the use of toxic chemical reagents, lower energy consumption and pollutant emissions, and meet the needs of industrial development under the "dual carbon" goal. Here are its four core application areas:
Traditional starch hydrolysis requires strong acid and high temperature (above 120 ℃), which not only consumes high energy but also produces harmful substances. High temperature α - amylase can quickly decompose starch into dextrin at around 100 ℃, and then convert dextrin into glucose using amylase. The entire process does not require strong acid, reduces energy consumption by 30%, and increases glucose purity to over 98%. In beer brewing, malt amylase breaks down starch in malt, while protease breaks down protein to produce flavor compounds, making beer taste richer and clearer.
When making cheese, the traditional method of extracting rennet from calf stomach mucosa is costly and limited by animal resources. Nowadays, industrial production of microbial rennet (extracted from Aspergillus oryzae and yeast) not only reduces costs by 50%, but also avoids the risk of animal derived diseases, and increases coagulation efficiency by 2 times, occupying more than 80% of the global rennet market. The "lactose free milk" commonly consumed by lactose intolerant individuals contains lactase, which breaks down lactose in milk into glucose and galactose, solving problems such as bloating and diarrhea.
Adding maltose amylase in bread making can make the bread softer and extend its shelf life; Adding transglutaminase to meat products such as sausages can crosslink meat proteins, improve taste and elasticity, and reduce fat content.
