Uses of Enzymes

Enzymes are proteins that act as catalysts for specific molecules. Enzymes break down food to become nutrition for your body. In nature, enzymes are naturally essential to the biological processes in a sustainable environment. Enzymes are used in both food and non-food natural products, such as milk and wood, to convert these raw materials into final products for market. Enzymes are biodegradable, so they are used in a variety of applications.

Identification

• Enzymes work as catalysts in chemical reactions, where the enzyme converts its raw material substrates into a final product. Enzymes are required for all cellular biological processes. They work to increase the reaction rate by decreasing the energy required to start the enzymatic breakdown. Enzymes are reusable, or biodegradable, because they are not absorbed by the processes they catalyze, and they can break down into amino acids that are naturally recycled in the environment.

Enzymes within the Body

• Your body benefits from the uses of enzymes. You gain enzymes through the foods you consume. Enzymes are available in raw foods, so consuming abundant amounts of vegetables and fruit makes these enzymes readily available for your body's processes.
  Within your bod, the pancreas produces pancreatic enzymes that aid digestion and boosts your body's immunity.
  Food enzymes, which are plant-based, play the role of enhancing the body's vitality, and also enhance the efficiency of digestion. Pancreatic enzymes, found in animals, aid the digestive system, as well as promote a healthy and robust immune system. Small amounts of pancreatic enzyme is consumed when meat is eaten; however, the pancreas can make these enzymes.

Food and Drink Uses

• Enzymes have been used in the production of food and drinks for centuries. Products such as vinegar and cheese are produced from yeast and bacteria enzymes. Advances in the biological technologies have allowed scientists to extract these enzymes from their natural sources. By removing the enzyme, products taste better and be produced more uniformly because the yeast and bacteria by-products are not used in food processing.
  Enzymes are also used to yield food products cheaper and faster. The enzymes speed up the aging process of certain food products, such as cheeses, control the content levels of sugar and other ingredients and stabilize products ready for market.
  Enzymatic technologies produce sweeteners by converting wheat and corn starch into sugars. This is an economic alternative to cane sugar because both corn and wheat are easier and more economical to produce than sugar cane.

Enzymes and Leather

• Enzymes are used in place of harmful chemicals in the process of tanning raw animal hides. Enzymes are used to clean the hide and to remove its fur and fat. They also help to stabilize and preserve the final leather product.

Enzymes in Plastics

• As an environmentally friendly alternative to standard hydrocarbon plastics, enzymatic technology has been used to develop biodegradable plastics. Producing biodegradable plastics is a very expensive process that utilizes polymers from plants such as corn and wheat, as well as from bacteria, where enzymes later work to break down these plastics once exposed to the environment. More research and work is being conducted to produce more cost-effective, biodegradable plastics.

Enzymes and Biofuels

• Enzymes are used in the production of bioethanol, a biofuel, It is produced through the enzymatic conversion of plant starch into a biodegradable fuel product. Starchy plants include corn, wheat and grasses. The process is in its early stages and research is being conducted to make this an efficient alternative to standard fossil fuels currently used as fuel.