252
11 Enzymes
in a separate chapter in this book). Proteins make up around 17.2% of U. lactuca
(Aguilera-Morales et al. 2018) for example. This means that approximately 82.8%
of the rest of the algae form the solid waste generated. This can then be further
processed to extract other biopolymers such as ulva and carrageenan.
11.8 Applications
Enzymes from aquatic sources find applications ranging from food processing to
cleaning agents. In various chapters of this book, reference has been made to some
extraction processes which make use of enzymes such as proteases to extract biopolymers. Therefore, enzymes play a role in the process of production of other valuable
products.
11.8.1 Biological Cleaning Agents
Much of the stains in everyday life are food stains, blood stains, ink stains or other
stains which are likely to have polymeric components such as protein in blood and
food. Enzymes which can break down these compounds are therefore ideal cleaning
agents as they can break down the large molecules of the stain into smaller molecules
which wash off more easily. An example of enzymes used for such application is
protease. Protease has been long known for its cleaning properties. Protease extracted
from the marine shipworm’s gland of Deshayes has superior cleaning power when
compared to the conventional phosphate detergents (Greene et al. 1996). The said
protease remains active at temperatures up to 50 °C and is completely inactivated at
70 °C. This is ideal as this is the general temperature range for eco-friendly washing
at room temperature. Protease also has potential application as a cleaning agent for
contact lenses as it retained stability and cleansing activity in the chemicals such as
hydrogen peroxide and sodium hypochlorite used in the cleaning and storage of such
product (Greene et al. 1996). Another example of protease from microorganism
which shows good cleansing properties is the protease obtained from a culture of the
bacterium B. mojavensis which is obtained from seawater (Haddar et al. 2009).
Protease from the viscera of fish has been shown to effectively remove blood
stain from cloth (Jayapriya et al. 2014). The effectiveness of the enzyme depends on
the species it is extracted from. For example, enzyme from great barracuda showed
a stronger stain removal activity compared to that from sardines, milk shark, seer
fish and red snapper. Other enzymes such as lipase which breaks down triglycerides
into fatty acids and glycerol can also be used to remove fat-based stains. Lipase is
obtained from marine algae (Bele et al. 2014a, b).
The enzymes are combined with regular detergents, solutions and chemicals to
serve as biological cleaning agents. It is therefore important that these enzymes are
11 Enzymes
in a separate chapter in this book). Proteins make up around 17.2% of U. lactuca
(Aguilera-Morales et al. 2018) for example. This means that approximately 82.8%
of the rest of the algae form the solid waste generated. This can then be further
processed to extract other biopolymers such as ulva and carrageenan.
11.8 Applications
Enzymes from aquatic sources find applications ranging from food processing to
cleaning agents. In various chapters of this book, reference has been made to some
extraction processes which make use of enzymes such as proteases to extract biopolymers. Therefore, enzymes play a role in the process of production of other valuable
products.
11.8.1 Biological Cleaning Agents
Much of the stains in everyday life are food stains, blood stains, ink stains or other
stains which are likely to have polymeric components such as protein in blood and
food. Enzymes which can break down these compounds are therefore ideal cleaning
agents as they can break down the large molecules of the stain into smaller molecules
which wash off more easily. An example of enzymes used for such application is
protease. Protease has been long known for its cleaning properties. Protease extracted
from the marine shipworm’s gland of Deshayes has superior cleaning power when
compared to the conventional phosphate detergents (Greene et al. 1996). The said
protease remains active at temperatures up to 50 °C and is completely inactivated at
70 °C. This is ideal as this is the general temperature range for eco-friendly washing
at room temperature. Protease also has potential application as a cleaning agent for
contact lenses as it retained stability and cleansing activity in the chemicals such as
hydrogen peroxide and sodium hypochlorite used in the cleaning and storage of such
product (Greene et al. 1996). Another example of protease from microorganism
which shows good cleansing properties is the protease obtained from a culture of the
bacterium B. mojavensis which is obtained from seawater (Haddar et al. 2009).
Protease from the viscera of fish has been shown to effectively remove blood
stain from cloth (Jayapriya et al. 2014). The effectiveness of the enzyme depends on
the species it is extracted from. For example, enzyme from great barracuda showed
a stronger stain removal activity compared to that from sardines, milk shark, seer
fish and red snapper. Other enzymes such as lipase which breaks down triglycerides
into fatty acids and glycerol can also be used to remove fat-based stains. Lipase is
obtained from marine algae (Bele et al. 2014a, b).
The enzymes are combined with regular detergents, solutions and chemicals to
serve as biological cleaning agents. It is therefore important that these enzymes are