Enzymes in bioconversion and food processing

Enzymes are biological catalysts that can be found in every living system. It takes part in various reactions and is mainly found in plants, animals, and microorganisms. The introduction of enzymes in the food industries began with the application of chymosin, derived from the calf stomach, for the production of cheese. Since then, advances in biotechnology have paved way to the application of enzymes synthesized by recombinant microorganisms. Living organisms achieve bioconversion of a substance with the help of enzymes. Due to high substrate specificity, enzymes find applicability in baking, dairy, detergent, leather, and beverage industries. Additionally, enzymes also play a vital role in wastewater treatment, animal nutrition, paper manufacturing, and pharmaceutical and biofuel applications. Furthermore, the discovery of cellulose-and lipidhydrolyzing enzymes along with the extensive applications of genetic engineering has provided momentum to producing alternative fuel sources from plantbased waste on a huge scale. This chapter deals with various enzymes typically applied in bioconversion and food processing.