Detailed Introduction to Application of Protease in Food Industry
By: Iva Colter
Tags: Enzyme, Biology, Health

With the improvement of living conditions, the flavor, taste and nutrition of food have higher standards, and the food processing industry is developing in the direction of safer and higher quality. Green, safe and efficient enzyme preparations are good substitutes for chemical agents in traditional food processing.

The most widely used in modern industry is protease, which is a type of enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of proteins, and is the earliest and most in-depth enzyme in enzymatic research. It is closely related to human beings and involves all aspects of life. It is widely used in meat tenderization, polypeptide processing, beer clarification and bread quality improvement industries in the food industry. What role does protease play in food?

1. Change the functional properties of proteins

The sensory quality of food is mainly determined by the functional properties of food protein, and these unique functions are closely related to the size, shape and surface chemical properties of protein molecules. It is further related to the combination of protein molecules and flavor substances, which affects the taste of food.

The proteases used in food processing mainly include pepsin, trypsin, papain and microbial protease. Food protein is changed by protease enzymatic hydrolysis to change the structure of protein at all levels, so that the chemical properties of protein change. Thereby affecting its solubility, hydration, emulsification and other functional properties, which is conducive to the production of higher standards of various foods.

2. Improve protein utilization

Protein is an essential nutrient required by the human body and constitutes the main component of various tissues of the human body. Insufficient protein intake can cause various diseases such as anemia, aging, tissue and organ damage, and seriously threaten human health. Therefore, it is particularly important to improve the digestion and utilization of protein.

Adding protease to food is one of the main ways to improve protein utilization. From the initial stage of food processing to the process of food storage and transportation, protease can not only promote the decomposition of protein into small molecule peptides and amino acids, and improve the digestion and absorption of protein by the human body, but also can be used to produce new high-protein foods to solve children and elderly people. As well as the problem of protein requirements for special populations, it is helpful to improve the digestibility and utilization of protein in food.

3 Remove sediments and extend shelf life

Many foods need to be stored at a lower temperature to achieve the purpose of inhibiting enzyme activity and extending the shelf life. However, most liquid beverages are prone to a large amount of precipitation during storage. The main component of the precipitation is protein, and some also include polyphenol compounds or macromolecular sugars. In the production, storage and transportation of colloidal liquid beverages, a large number of macromolecules are prone to precipitate, which affects the quality and flavor of food and subsequent sales. Protease can effectively decompose protein and improve the precipitation caused by protein in beverages. Phenomenon, maintaining various sensory qualities of liquid foods and delaying the shelf life of drinks.