11.2 Occurrence in Nature
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microorganism found in seawater is the Bacillus mojavensis A21 (Haddar et al. 2009)
which produces protease.
11.2.2.1 Biofilms
Some microorganisms form biofilms which protect them from harsh conditions and
substances. The biofilm also supports their adhesion to wet surfaces in the natural
aquatic environment and in wet surfaces in everyday life. These biofilms are composed of polymeric materials which are present in the exoskeletal matrix of microorganisms such as polysaccharides. Alginate forms a large amount of the biofilm material. At different points in the developmental stage, the biofilms need to be broken
down to allow spreading of the film and/or the bacteria. This breakdown is achieved
by alginolytic enzymes produced by the microorganisms. Recently, the possibility of
using the alginate lyase enzyme produced by these biofilm-forming microorganisms
to destroy biofilm-forming bacteria is being explored (Daboor et al. 2019). Biofilms
aid resistance of bacteria to antibiotics in humans and antiseptic chemical in cleaning of surfaces. Extraction of alginolytic enzymes from biofilms to then attack the
biofilms of these resistant bacteria provides a promising way to address antibiotic
resistance.
11.2.3 Fish Viscera
Some of the common commercially available enzymes are sourced from the internal
organs (viscera) and muscles of fish (Shahidi and Kamil 2001). These parts are
generally not eaten; therefore, their production does not compete with food. It is
also in line with the sustainable development goal of optimizing the utilization of
fisheries resources since these parts are otherwise discarded. Examples of enzymes
from aquatic source are the pepsin and collagenase from crab hepatopancreas (Kim
et al. 2002). Pepsin is also obtained from fish. Extracts from squid offal contain
collagen-degrading enzymes. The occurrence of enzymes in an aquatic animal can
be affected by the type of diet the animal consumed. For example, juvenile green
abalone showed a variation in the digestive enzymes they produced when fed with a
diet of either algae or sea grasses (Garcia-Carreno et al. 2003). This can be attributed
to the fact that the body will produce the type of enzyme required to digest the food it
consumes. The activity of the enzyme produced by an organism at certain conditions
is dependent on the habitat of the organisms.
237
microorganism found in seawater is the Bacillus mojavensis A21 (Haddar et al. 2009)
which produces protease.
11.2.2.1 Biofilms
Some microorganisms form biofilms which protect them from harsh conditions and
substances. The biofilm also supports their adhesion to wet surfaces in the natural
aquatic environment and in wet surfaces in everyday life. These biofilms are composed of polymeric materials which are present in the exoskeletal matrix of microorganisms such as polysaccharides. Alginate forms a large amount of the biofilm material. At different points in the developmental stage, the biofilms need to be broken
down to allow spreading of the film and/or the bacteria. This breakdown is achieved
by alginolytic enzymes produced by the microorganisms. Recently, the possibility of
using the alginate lyase enzyme produced by these biofilm-forming microorganisms
to destroy biofilm-forming bacteria is being explored (Daboor et al. 2019). Biofilms
aid resistance of bacteria to antibiotics in humans and antiseptic chemical in cleaning of surfaces. Extraction of alginolytic enzymes from biofilms to then attack the
biofilms of these resistant bacteria provides a promising way to address antibiotic
resistance.
11.2.3 Fish Viscera
Some of the common commercially available enzymes are sourced from the internal
organs (viscera) and muscles of fish (Shahidi and Kamil 2001). These parts are
generally not eaten; therefore, their production does not compete with food. It is
also in line with the sustainable development goal of optimizing the utilization of
fisheries resources since these parts are otherwise discarded. Examples of enzymes
from aquatic source are the pepsin and collagenase from crab hepatopancreas (Kim
et al. 2002). Pepsin is also obtained from fish. Extracts from squid offal contain
collagen-degrading enzymes. The occurrence of enzymes in an aquatic animal can
be affected by the type of diet the animal consumed. For example, juvenile green
abalone showed a variation in the digestive enzymes they produced when fed with a
diet of either algae or sea grasses (Garcia-Carreno et al. 2003). This can be attributed
to the fact that the body will produce the type of enzyme required to digest the food it
consumes. The activity of the enzyme produced by an organism at certain conditions
is dependent on the habitat of the organisms.