Uses of enzymes

The concern by consumers about cholesterol has stimulated the development of methods for its removal. Three principal approaches are in the pilot-plant stages use of enzymes, supercritical fluid extraction, and steam distillation. Using known techniques, it is not possible to remove all cholesterol from milk. Therefore, FDA guidelines identify cholesterol-free foods as containing less than 2 mg cholesterol per serving, and low cholesterol foods as containing from 2 to 20 mg (37). 

Several strategies for the production of pure D- or L-amino acids rely on the use of enzymes. L-Serine (49) is synthesized by combining glycine (48) and formaldehyde in the presence of the enzyme serine hydroxymethyl transferase (66). 

Textile finishing includes various efforts to improve the properties of textile fabrics, whether for apparel, home, or other end uses. In particular, these processes are directed toward modifying either the fiber characteristics themselves or the gross textile end properties. Such modifications may be chemical or mechanical in nature. One modification that is not covered in this article relates to the dyeing of textiles and the dyestuffs employed for fibers however, areas that involve chemical finishing designed to modify the normal dye receptivity and the growing use of enzyme treatments are included. 

More recently, interest has developed in the use of enzymes to catalyze the hydrolysis of cellulose to glucose (25—27). Domestic or forest product wastes can be used to produce the fermentation substrate. Whereas there has been much research on alcohol fermentation, whether from cereal grains, molasses, or wood hydrolysis, the commercial practice of this technology is primarily for the industrial alcohol and beverage alcohol industries. About 100 plants have been built for fuel ethanol from com, but only a few continue to operate (28). 

Enzymes for Liming and Bating. An important discovery (79) for the leather industry was the close relationship between the amount of dermatan sulfate removed and the degree of opening up. Until this discovery, the use of enzymes during the liming and unhairing steps was not considered worthwhile. 

Enzymes in Pulp and Paper Production. Enzyme-modified starch has been used for adhesives to strengthen paper base and for surface coating. Developments since the late 1980s of further uses of enzymes in papermaking include pitch control and bleach boosting, (see Paper Pulp). 

Perhaps the biggest impact on the practical utilization of enzymes has been the development of nonaqueous enzymology (11,16,33,35). The use of enzymes in nonaqueous media gready expands the scope of suitable transformations, simplifies thek use, and enhances stabiUty. It also provides an easy means of regulation of the substrate specificity and regio- and enantioselectivity of enzymes by changing the reaction medium. 

The commercial exploitation of our increased understanding of protein stmcture will not, of course, be restricted to the pharmaceutical industry. The industrial use of enzymes in the chemical industry, the development of new and more specific pesticides and herbicides, the modification of enzymes in order to change the composition of plant oils and plant carbohydrates are all examples of other commercial developments that depend, in part, on understanding the structure of particular proteins at high resolution. 

The use of enzymes for the hydrolysis of acylals is effective, and in the case of racemic derivatives some enantioenrichment of the aldehyde is possible. ... 

The report from Sheldon and co-workers was the second publication demonstrating the potential use of enzymes in ionic liquids and the first one for lipases (Entry 13) [43]. They compared the reactivity of Candida antarctica lipase in ionic liquids such as [BMIM][PFg] and [BMIM][BF4] with that in conventional organic solvents. In all cases the reaction rates were similar for all of the reactions investigated alcoholysis, ammoniolysis, and per hydrolysis. 

J Koryta (Ed), Use of Enzyme Electrodes in Biomedical Investigations, Wiley, Chichester, 1980... 

With this single example we have in tact described two uses of enzymes in alicyclic chemistry, the reduction of ketone groups and the resolution of racemic mixtures. 

We included some discussion of other terpenoids and other organic molecules, including aliphatic and alicydic materials. We also considered the use of enzymes in producing triglycerides with desirable characteristics. 

Worldwide suppliers with bioengineering capabilities are displacing established polymers with cost-effective and higher performing plastics. An explosion of novel polymers has been made by enzymatic control. The use of enzymes for polymerization has drastically altered the landscape of polymer chemistry. Processors can request specific properties for each application as opposed to the usual making do with what is available. The supplier can deliver to the processor desired properties requested. 

How would you extend the linear range of calibration plots based on the use of enzyme electrodes ... 

Explain clearly how the use of enzymes can enhance the power of electrochemical immunosensors. 

Biocatalysts usually require mild reaction conditions for an optimal activity (physiologic temperature and pH) and, in general, they show high activity, chemo- and enantioselectivity. Furthermore, when using enzymes, many functional group protections and/or activations can be avoided, allowing shorter synthetic transformations. The use of enzymes is therefore very attractive from an environmental and economic point of view. 

However, the particular usefulness of enzymes stems from their selectivity. There are three types of selectivity exerted by enzymes chemoselectivity, regioselectivity, and stereoselectivity. 

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