Enzymes in everyday life

Do you know that we use enzymes everyday ?

Have you wondered how detergents clean up clothes? or How the food is being digested? How are cheese made?


All these process happens with the assistance of enzymes.


What are enzymes?
 
Enzymes are proteins that catalyse a reaction. The molecules on which the enzymes act are called substrates, and the study of enzymes is called enzymology.


Lets check out a number of enzymes used everyday.






1. Detergents

The detergents utilized in washing and cleaning of the dirt's in clothes is by the utilization of enzymes Protease, Lipases, Amylases.

Dirt comes in many forms such as proteins, lipids and starch.
Lipids are nothing but oils we use in cooking. By simply watching the word Protease we will tell that it degrades proteins, likewise lipases degrades lipids and Amylase degrades starch into simple sugars.
By using these enzymes provides efficient cleaning of the dirt.

2. Bread Making

Bakers Yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), Yeast is that the ingredient utilized in bread making. Yeast makes the dough rise doubling its size leavening . This occurs by the release of CO2 gas, which is produced by the yeast enzymes which breakdown the sugars present in the bread dough.

Zymase and Maltase are the enzymes produced by the yeast. These enzymes utilize the sugars releasing Co2 and ethanol. 

Maltase produced by the yeast breaksdown the complex sugars present in the bread to simple sugars which is then utilized as food for yeast thereby releasing Co2 and ethanol.

3. Papaya

Papaya contain enzyme Papain. Papain is proteolytic enzyme called papain proteinase, which suggests that it breakdowns protein.
So it is used to tenderize meat, meat contains complex protein which must be weakened into simpler proteins for digestion and absorption in our body.
In addition to tenderizing of meat it also utilized in treating wound.

Fruits containing protease enzyme

• Fruits like papaya, kiwifruit these fruits favours the speed up of protein degradation also in medicinal use for increasing the platelet count during a Dengue fever.

• Pineapple contain Bromelain which is used for wound healing and digests proteins.

• Fig fruit contains ficin which is a proteolytic enzyme acts as deworming medicine.

4. Mouth Salivary amylase

 Present in saliva called salivary amylase which converts starch to its sugars (disaccharides or trisaccharides)

Though amylase is produced by your salivary glands in mouth. The only thing you have to do is to chew and eat.

5. Jam production

Pectinase are used in jam production. Pectinase enzyme plays a crucial role in extraction of fruit crush from fruits.

6. Cheese Making and Dairy Products

Enzymes are used in diary products to coagulate milk ,curdles milk and separates whey. 

Lipases are the enzymes used which breakdown fats to give a characteristic flavour to cheese.

7. Brewing industries 

Amylase and Cellulase are used in beer production in brewing industries . Alpha amylase and beta amylase are utilized in the mashing and malting of barley for the beer production.