Aida Stefani
SBI4U
Octover 20th, 2012
Assignment 1: Cellular Biology furthers technology-Enzymes in the Dairy Industry Since ancient times, enzymes have played an important role in food production. Especially in the diary industry, some enzymes are required for the production of cheese, yogurt, and other dairy products, while others are used in a more specialized fashion such as improving texture or flavour of the product. Enzymes are used to catalyze the desirable reactions in industrial processes. Today, enzyme applications in such processing get more difficulties because of the rare occurrence and high costs. The aim of using the microbial enzymes is to achieve this problem. Five of the more common types of microbial enzymes involved in the dairy industry involve: Rennet, Proteases, Lactase, Catalase, and Lipases.
Milk contains proteins, especially caseins which maintain its liquid form. Proteases are enzymes that are added to milk during the process of cheese production, to hydrolize caseins, like kappa caseins, which stabilizes micelle formation and thus preventing milk coagulation. On the other hand, rennet and rennin are general terms for enzymes used to coagulate milk. The Chymosin enzyme which can be obtained from animal, microbial, or vegetable sources, is responsible for up to 70% of cheese production. It is now possible to produce chymosin in genetically modified fungi. These modified microorganisms contain the gene derived from the stomach of calves that is responsible for producing chymosin. When grown in a bioreactor, they release chymosin into the medium. Afterwards, the enzyme is extracted and purified, yielding a product that is 80%-90% pure. Natural rennin contains only 4%-8% active enzyme. Chymosin produced by genetically engineered microorganisms is now used to produce cheese in many different countries. Rennet (Chymosin) has owed to an increase in demand for cheese production worldwide. Rennin acts on milk in two stages, by
Bibliography: "Enzymes are used in Dairy Industry."Enzymes are used in Dairy Industry. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2012. < http://prof.dr.semih.otles.tripod.com/enzymesused/dairy1.htm >.