Enzyme technology is currently being applied in the fish processing industry to increase fish meat yield and to facilitate the processing as well as to improve the quality of finished products. Enzymes are capable of accelerating desirable reactions, from which a number of advantages can be obtained. Additionally, the enzymatic reactions employed are mild and do not cause an adverse effect, such as the loss of nutritive values of products. Reactions can be manoeuvred or regulated easily without undesirable effects. Various enzymes can be used in seafood industry to increase processing efficacy. However, the maximization of desirable endogenous enzymes or lowering the enzymes causing a negative impact on the seafood quality is the promising means to obtain seafood products with prime quality. Enzymes, especially industrial enzymes, can be used as fish processing aids. However, the industry has to afford for the high cost of those enzymes. Therefore, the recovery of fish enzymes for further uses has been paid attention to in order to gain the potential processing aids cost effectively. Furthermore, the unique characteristics of those enzymes can be exploited.Different enzymes have been used in seafood processing as the aid to improve yield and quality. Modes of action of different enzymes vary and the processes involved should be carefully considered so as to maximize the benefit of the enzymatic reactions employed.
PROTEASESProteases play an essential role in the growth and survival of all living organisms. The hydrolysis of peptide bonds catalyzed by proteases is a common reaction in nature. Proteases from plants, animals and microorganisms are polyfunctional enzymes catalyzing the hydrolytic degradation of proteins. 1 Proteases can be classified on the basis of their similarity to well-characterized proteases as trypsin, chymotrypsin, chymosin or cathepsin-like. They may be classified on the basis of their pH sensitivities as acid, neutral or alkaline proteases. They are also characterized by common names and trade names, preferential specificity and response to inhibitor specificity. In the EC system for enzyme nomenclature, all proteases (peptide hydrolases) belong to subclass 3.4, which is further divided into 3.4.11-19 (the exopeptidases) and 3.4.21-24 (the endopeptidases or proteinases). 2 Endopeptidases cleave the polypeptide chain at particularly susceptible peptide bonds distributed along the chain, whereas exopeptidases hydrolyze one amino acid from N terminus (amino peptidases) or from C terminus (carboxypeptidases).
Enz y mes in Food Technology , Second editionEdited by Robert J. Whitehurst and Maarten van Oort