Enzymes: tools for food production

Today, the food industry manufactures its products thanks to the services provided by intermediate food product companies . Enzymes are among these, as are flavors and texture agents. Used unknowingly for at least 8,000 years (in dairy products, for example, with rennet derived from calf rennet), enzymes are proteins that make up all living things. Enzymes are important tools for stabilizing or generating the properties of our foods.

The enzyme market for food applications generated $900 million in 2008, out of a total enzyme market of $3.4 billion .

This article describes the many uses of enzymes and discusses their regulatory framework. Most enzymes are technological aids, i.e. they facilitate processing operations. Their high selectivity offers many advantages over chemical transformations: simple implementation, few dangerous by-products, better product separation and fewer negative effects on the environment, which translates into lower overall costs. In the fields of starch and sugar processing, bakery, dairy, brewing, wine-making, fruit processing and beverage production, enzymes have become indispensable, enabling gains in product quality, lower energy costs and improved process kinetics. Enzymes can also reduce waste emissions and energy consumption, sometimes by as much as 50%. In recent years, industrial applications for enzymes (bioethanol, lipochemistry, textile treatment (faded jeans), etc.) have outstripped the economic weight of their food applications, and represent a real growth driver for enzyme-producing industries.