Enzyme Stabilization at High Hydrostatic Pressure for Food Processing

By Dr. José I. Reyes De Corcuera

University of Georgia, USA

Monday August 21st, 2017 at 9:00 (Mexico City, MX; UTC -05:00)

Enzymes are widely used in food processing for example, pectolytic enzymes are used to increase yield and clarify fruit juices; glucose oxidase and catalase are used in egg desugaring; and lipases have been studied for the production of natural flavors. One of the main challenges in the industrial application of enzymes is that sometimes they are expensive and have short operational life. Enzyme from thermophiles and the implementation of recombinant DNA technology have helped reduce enzyme costs. In contrast there is little evidence of new developments on processing technologies. High hydrostatic pressure (HHP) processing is the most successful non-thermal alternative to heat pasteurization. Most of HHP research has focused on inactivating pathogens, spoilage microorganisms and enzymes that are deleterious to product quality. In contrast, very few research groups in the world have studied the effect of HHP on enzyme stability and activity. In this webinar we summarize our relevant findings on the stabilization effect of HHP on lipases, pectinases, and oxidases and the combined effect of pressure and temperature for improved biocatalysis.