Enzymes from a technological standpoint and their application in seafood processing

In recent years, biotechnology has emerged as a new option for the food industry to tackle difficulties linked to food processing, improve organoleptic properties, and establish new technologies in the food preservation sector. An intriguing technology for the industry is the enzymatic mechanism, which entails the use of enzymes (proteins with the ability to cause a chemical reaction) to produce an interesting change or achieve desired attributes. In contrast to chemical approaches, the significant component of enzymatic technologies is the ability of the enzyme to work in a specific effective way in mild conditions (pH and temperature) utilizing low concentration and with an easy process of inactivation. In this context, the seafood industry has used enzymatic systems in a variety of processes (Fig. 6.1), such as the use of proteases in the deskinning and descaling process or lipases in the isolation of oil and fats; this is because the application could increase extraction yields and convert a by-product into a valuable initial material. Furthermore, enzymes have been included in new technologies to change oils or recover bioactive protein molecules, which might be useful in the development of novel food products. Another intriguing feature of the enzymatic component in the seafood industry is the ability to recover enzymes from residual industrial materials, in addition to the isolation and purification procedure. According to Fernandes (2016), the recovery of enzymes from various raw materials could improve the potential activity based on the recovered material. For example, enzymes obtained from the marine environment have several advantages such as high activity at low temperatures when compared with enzymes obtained from terrestrial sources. This chapter intends to give information on the traditional and most recent achievements in the use of enzymes in seafood processing, as well as prospective improvements in this field.