Discover the Industrial Applications of Enzymes

Enzymes in Industry and Metabolism

• Subtilisin is the enzyme responsible for the degradation of proteins in detergents.
• Glucose isomerase is used to convert glucose to fructose in the production of high-fructose corn syrup.
• Amyloglucosidase is used to remove fruit starch haze.
• Chymosin is used in cheese manufacture to curdle milk.
• Urea lyase is used to increase yields in wine production.
• Enzymes act as catalysts to increase the rates of chemical reactions.
• Enzymes are proteins that act on specific molecules, known as substrates.
• During chemical reactions, enzymes accelerate the process without being consumed or altered.
• Allosteric effect refers to the ability of a protein to change shape, resulting in a change in binding affinity at a different binding site.
• Industrial applications of enzymes benefit fields such as detergent, food, and pharmaceutical industries.
• Enzymes play a crucial role in metabolic processes within a cell, facilitating chemical reactions.

Classes of Enzymes

• Oxidoreductases catalyze reactions in which one molecule is oxidized while the other is reduced.
• Transferases catalyze the transfer of carbon, nitrogen, or phosphate groups.
• Hydrolases catalyze hydrolytic cleavage reactions.
• Lyases catalyze the cleavage of C-C, C-S, and C-N bonds.

Enzyme Functions

• ATP-dependent enzymes require ATP for their activity.
• Oxygenases catalyze the incorporation of molecular O2 to a substrate.
• Mitochondria and lysosomes are organelles involved in the compartmentalization of enzymes.
• Alanine transaminase (ALT) is typically found when the cells of the liver are stressed or damaged.
• Alkaline phosphatase is increased when bile flow in the liver is reduced.
• Creatine kinase is most frequently measured to assess muscle injury.
• AST and ALT are used to assess liver function, with lesser importance during muscle injury.

Enzyme Regulation and Mechanisms

• Insulin and glucagon regulate enzymatic activities on metabolic pathways.
• The key-lock mechanism of enzymes refers to the specific binding of substrates to active sites.
• An example of an industrial application of enzymes is the use of amylases in laundry detergents.
• An apoenzyme is an inactive enzyme without a cofactor, whereas a holoenzyme is the active form with a cofactor.
• Activation energy is the energy required for a chemical reaction to occur.
• Enzymes increase the rates of chemical reactions without being consumed or altered.
• An example of enzyme nomenclature is the use of the suffix "-ase" to denote an enzyme, such as lactase.