Why are enzymes vital for the sustenance of life?
It significantly speeds up the chemical reaction that takes place within the cells. They play an important role in speeding up the process of metabolism and digestion. But its role is not constrained to just the human body. Their trait of accelerating chemical reaction is useful beyond the human body.
Enzymes can be employed in different fields like cancer treatment and diagnosis. The chemical reaction of the microorganisms can be accomplished under mild conditions due to the action of enzymes. This permits the organism for easy digestion of food, absorption of nutrients and maintaining of visceral function which includes circulation, blood, immunity production, metabolism, detoxification etc.
Comprehensive research about enzymes has shown extensive application in industries. Industrial enzymes have established a good market thus industrialists have begun to explore enzymes in their industry.
Before we jump into knowing in detail, what enzyme-based products are, let us know in brief what enzymes are? Enzymes are nothing but protein molecules present in cells, they work as a biological catalyst and speed up chemical reactions in the body but they do not get used up in the process. Therefore they are used over and over again. Biochemical reactions in living beings are driven by enzymes. A chemical reaction without enzymes makes the process considerably slower. Without enzymes, life, as we know, wouldn’t exist.
When we think of bacterias, we immediately personify it as something awful. However, the fact is, there are just a handful of bad bacteria as compared to the good ones. Our body consists of 85% of good bacteria and 15% bad bacteria.
Likewise, when it comes to cleaning, bio-enzymatic cleaners that are bacteria and enzyme-based are efficient and safe when it comes to odour and soil removers, significantly the types of organic soil.
Bacteria and enzymes go hand in hand:
There is a simple science behind comprehending bio-enzymatic products. Let us see how bacteria and enzymes work together to result in helpful cleaning partners.
Bacteria are microorganisms that are present from the human stomach to the soil, water, dust particles etc. just like enzymes, bacteria’s also consist of good and bad bacteria. The good bacteria’s are called pro-biotics which help in the process of digestion and immunity, the bad ones i.e. noxious are called pathogenic.
Coming to enzymes, there is a fun fact to know that enzymes are NOT alive!!!, they are produced by bacteria which are living microorganisms and they make way for enzymes to work. As discussed above, enzymes act as catalysts. The chemical reaction between bacteria and soil is speeded up by enzymes resulting in an increase in the efficiency of bacteria.
But what makes enzymes make the chemical process easier?
Enzymes function to break the complex particles into much smaller particles that let bacteria consume in a much easier manner. These smaller particles become food to bacteria that further helps to break down and digest into basic compounds such as carbon dioxide and water.
How do bio-enzymatic cleaners work?
Bio-enzymatic cleaning products work exactly the same way as discussed above. When these cleaners are applied on any surface with stains, soil and stench, enzymes are the first to act by breaking them down enough for bacteria to consume it. Adequately damp surfaces lead to multiplication of these microscopic cleaners, they continue to remove particles of dust and odour from the surface hours and even days after initial use.
Enzymes without bacteria:
Enzymes can go solo to work as a catalyst to other ingredients in the detergent and speed up the chemical reaction i.e. they break down the dirt particles into smaller ones so that the water can wash it off easily.
However, the existence of enzymes couldn’t have been possible without bacteria. So before the enzymes go solo, they need bacteria to give it life.
Extreme temperature causes Bio-enzymatic products to lose their productiveness. Their life is usually up to 1-2 years. Enzyme activity can be neutralised and their purpose of cleaning can be defeated if disinfectants with a high pH are used on the same surface.
The bio-enzymatic formulation works particularly well for cleaning applicants like Laundry detergent, Uric acid, Drain Maintenance and Carpet cleaning.
The most effective enzyme cleaner that removes starch stains from clothes such as chocolate syrup or tomato juice etc is Amylase. It is an enzyme that catalyses the hydrolysis of starch.
Cellulase helps in cleaning off general stains like mud and dust. This enzyme catalyzes cellulolysis and is produced mainly by bacteria, fungi and protozoans.
Lipase eliminates sweat, oil stains, grease etc. this enzyme catalyses the hydrolysis of fats.
Mannanase discards food stains like coffee, syrups etc. it is used for the hydrolysis of mannan, produced by various microorganisms including bacteria.
Pectinase clears off stains of fruit juices, wines etc. it is referred to as pectic enzymes.
Protease removes protein stains which include blood, urine etc. it catalyses proteolysis i.e. the breakdown of proteins into single amino acid.
From food to healthcare and technical fields, enzymes have an impression in nearly all the industrial activity. What fuels its demand is its catalytic property that has led to its extensive use in processes and products of various fields. In the field of biotechnology and engineering notably in the areas of protein and genetic engineering, cater an important tool for the efficient progress of enzymes. This has resulted in the advancement of enzymes with development in the properties for its adoption in well-established industrial and technical utilization.
Using enzymes from an industrialist who supplies enzymes has a few advantages. Let’s discuss a few of them:
Mild Settings:
The efficiency of enzymes increases by setting a certain environment for the enzymes to perform. Enzymes have optimum temperature and a preset pH. Making sure that the suppliers have enough knowledge about the criterion temperature set for enzymes are important.
Acts Explicitly:
The main reason behind enzymes being so popular among various industries is that they work specifically with other components. They have a distinct reaction towards definite components and its uniqueness is that it doesn’t get mixed with any other component in the process. They react the way you want it to.
Controlling The Process:
By now we know that enzymes are produced out of bacteria and thus it is a naturally occurring protein. But industrial manufacturers have become proficient in producing enzymes. The key to this is that enzymes provide us with a high degree of control in the whole process. Activities of enzymes can be easily coordinated by controlling the outer atmosphere.
The Best Alternative:
We have been carrying on human activities that are hazardous to nature for a long time. It’s high time we realize our corporate responsibility and start using substitutes of perilous substances as much as possible. Pondering if enzymes make a substitute for dangerous elements then you are absolutely right! Enzymes can be used in place of carcinogenic substances. This has resulted in industries using more enzymes and going environment friendly with it.
Desizing:
In the textile industry, enzymes such as catalase, cellulases and laccase are used. They are used in eliminating starch and degrade surplus hydrogen peroxide, lignin and bleaching textile. By doing this, enzymes ensure effortless processing for textile manufacturers.
Ecological:
Some industries face challenges regarding waste management due to which they have to be inspected but when enzymes come into the picture, industries using enzymes are set aside as they are biodegradable.
Speedy:
In some of the industries, few processes take days and at times as long as a week. Such industries include medicine and textile, they use enzymes to speed up their production. Chemical properties of enzymes cut down energy activation of any reactions which leads to speedy commencement of the process.