Part 4: Industrial enzymes Flashcards
Describe the different market sectors where industrial enzymes are used
Household items, biofuels, food and beverage, animal feed, biocatalysis
Def: Enzyme
Biological catalysts that increase the rate of reaction in biochemical reactions in cells without being used up themselves. This is done by lowering the activation energy barrier.
In what ways do enzymes differ from chemical catalysts
Enzymes need mild conditions
Enzyme-catalysed reactions are much quicker
Highly specific
Enzyme activity is controlled in the cell
Describe the ways in which enzymes catalyse reactions
1) Enzyme binds 2 substrates and orients them to encourage a reaction
2) Enzyme triggers electron rearrangement and causes partial polarity which favours a reaction
3) Enzyme strains the bound substrate, forcing it into a transition state
Def: 1 Enzyme unit
The amount of enzyme that catalyses the reaction of 1 μmol of substrate per minute
What causes the rate of reaction to decrease?
Enzyme desaturation
Enzyme inactivation
Equilibrium displacement
Product inhibition
Equation: Michaelis-Menten kinetics
V = Vmax x [s]/ Km +[s]
Describe the properties of biological detergent enzymes
Cheap
Stable against protease
Stable in alkaline conditions
Thermophilic and effective over a large temperature range
What enzymes are mostly used in biological detergents
Proteases (grass, blood, sweat stains), amylases (starchy residue), cellulases (colour brightening and softening), lipases (oil and fat stains)
What are the benefits of using biological detergents
Effective at lower temperatures:
Saves energy costs
Reduces damage to clothing
Improves stain removal
In what ways does protein engineering improve lipolase’s properties
Reduces enzyme specificity
Improves thermostability
Improves detergent performance
Improves wash-relevant properties
How was lipolase created
The gene was extracted from Humicola Lanuginose and insterted into Aspergillus Oryzae as the cell factory, creating large amounts of active recombinant Humicola Lipase
What are the stages of industrial enzyme production
Upstream:
1) Genetic/metabolic engineering for desired product characteristics
2) Inoculum preparation
3) Fermentation to increase biomass
4) Separation of cells from media via filtration or centrifugation
5) Product collection
Downstream:
6) Low-level purification: Precipitation or liquid-liquid extraction
7) Chromatography: Enzyme binds to stationary phase
8) Formulation/ processing
