Tapping the power of enzymes - greening the food industry

• Main Author: Mohd Ghazali, Hasanah
• Format: Inaugural Lecture
• Language: English; English
• Published: Bahagian Komunikasi Korporat, Universiti Putra Malaysia 2004
• Online Access: http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/41639/1/Hasanah%20Mohd%20Ghazali%20%28Cover%29.pdf; http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/41639/2/Hasanah%20Mohd%20Ghazali%20%28Fulltext%29.pdf; http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/41639/

Stimulating pressures for better use of renewable resources and clamour for green technologies that will reduce damage to the environment have combined with substantial advances in biotechnology to significantly stimulate the growth of the markets and application areas for enzymes. The impact of genetic and protein engineering on production and modification of the enzyme molecule has been highly visible and this has resulted in a more intense study on tapping the power of enzymes for an even wider range of applications including in food processing. Industrial enzymes are used widely in food processing and technical industries. The total market for them was estimated in 2000 to be in excess of US$ 1.3 billion, with applications as wide-ranging as biological detergents, high fructose corn syrups processing, and cosmetic additives. The manufacture of foods has rapidly changed from an art form to a highly specialised technology based on discoveries, increased availability and translation of knowledge from the basic and applied sciences. In the last 50 years the use of commercial enzymes in food processing has grown from one that is relative insignificant to a role that has become essential. It is such that nowadays, in some food industries, enzymes are used routinely to effect changes during processing that may be otherwise be very difficult to achieve. For some other processes, enzymes appear to be the only logical solution to food transformation and food ingredient production.