Seafood enzymes and their potential industrial applications

Abstract

Enzymes are key tools in biotechnology and related areas because of their catalytic nature. Accordingly, they have been extensively used in food production and processing for centuries, albeit in a rather empirical manner, which has been superseded by a rational approach in the last decades. In recent years, the focus has been on technical and scientific issues (enzyme formulations, molecular improvement of enzyme, screening for new/improved enzymes through traditional and metagenomics approaches, process improvement) as well as on legal and regulatory matters (definition of enzymes and technological purposes, procedures for safety assessment, harmonization of regulations, among others), all of these abridging the food industry. There is huge potential for their diverse applications such as food processing, biotechnology, clinical diagnosis, detergents, leather and fabric upgrading, organic synthesis, therapeutics, biosensors, among others.