Industrial enzymes: an open door for innovation

Lallemand offers a brief insight into the ever-changing world of industrial enzymes for alcohol production

What do enzymes do? Why do we need them? Enzymes can be defined as any of a group of complex proteins or conjugated proteins that are produced by living cells and act as catalysts in specific biochemical reactions. What exactly are enzymes? So enzymes, despite ‘doing things’ in our process, are not living organisms, but they do come from living things. Typically they are a form of protein sourced from bacteria, fungi, or even plant based. Enzymes are biocatalysts (they increase the rate of biochemical reactions) that continue to function away from their host organism from which they are isolated. Each enzyme functions to increase the rate of specific biochemical reaction, similar to a lock and key, one enzyme for one reaction. So while not living, they do have environmental conditions in which they operate best, as well as conditions that they can be deactivated or ‘denatured’, especially temperature and pH.

Enzymes are important because they are utilised in many different applications. For example, they are used in home food...