Industrial Applications of Enzymes:
Q.1. What are enzymes?
Ans: Enzymes are biological catalysts mainly made of proteins and can alter the rates of chemical reactions without themselves being chemically changed at the end of the reaction.
Q. 2. What are the functions of enzymes?
Ans: Characteristics/functions of enzymes-
a) speed up chemical reactions
b) highly specific
c) catalyse reactions under relatively mild conditions
d) may need coenzymes for activity
e) digest food substances
f) build-up or synthesize complex substances e.g. proteins from amino acids in cells
g) break down food substances in cells to release energy (cellular respiration)
h) control the numerous reactions in an organism
Q.3. What are the advantages of industrial applications of enzymes?
Ans: Enzymes are very useful substances which industrial chemists would also like to use since they are able to bring about chemical changes at low temperatures. Industrial enzymes are enzymes that are commercially used in a variety of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemical production, food, beverage, and consumer products.
The advantages of industrial applications of enzymes are -
a) Way of using enzymes is to use whole organisms in industrial processes. For example, the use of micro-organisms to make cheese, yogurt, and beer.
b) Diabetics can test urine for the presence of glucose using a clinistix. It contains two enzymes: glucose oxidase and peroxidase. Glucose oxidase breaks down glucose to produce to hydrogen peroxide. This hydrogen peroxide is then combined with a dye in the stick by the second enzyme, peroxidase.
c) They are specific so they only catalyse the reaction.
d) Using lower temperatures and pressures means a lower cost as it saves energy.
e) They are biodegradable and therefore cause less environmental pollution.