Production Process or Final Product: Where do I apply an enzyme?

Let's talk about enzymes – those tiny proteins that are changing the game in industries like pharmaceuticals, biofuels, and more, by offering distinct advantages over traditional chemical methods.

Enzymes are like the ultimate changemakers in the world of chemistry, and they're making waves for good reasons. However, it’s important to understand “when” and “where” we can apply industrial enzymes to benefit from them.

Boiling it down to the basics, industrial enzymes can be applied in two main ways – either to enhance the efficiency of a chemical process or to directly improve the quality of the final product itself.

Let's break it down even further:

Enhancing the efficiency of chemical processes

Imagine you're running a paper manufacturing facility, and you want to make your current production process smoother and greener, specifically regarding your pulp bleaching process to whiten paper. That's where enzymes can come in handy.

By integrating enzymatic bleaching processes into your manufacturing line, your facility can reduce the use of chlorine-based bleaching agents, and achieve a more sustainable and environmentally friendly operation. Enzymes such as xylanases and ligninases can selectively target and degrade lignin and other impurities in the pulp, leading to brighter and cleaner fibers.

As natural catalyzers, enzymes are specialized in transforming a specific substrate into a specific product, all while doing it quickly and at mild conditions.

This ability to catalyze reactions enables the production of desired products with greater efficiency and precision. Compared to traditional chemical catalysts, enzymes offer several advantages:

• • Mild Operating Conditions – Enzymes typically function under mild temperature and pH conditions, reducing energy consumption, which leads to cost savings and a reduced environmental impact.
  • Selectivity – Enzymes exhibit remarkable chiral and positional specificity, enabling the selective synthesis of desired molecules while minimizing the formation of unwanted by-products.
  • Reduced Waste – Enzymatic reactions often produce fewer by-products and waste streams compared to chemical processes, contributing to a more sustainable manufacturing process.
  • Biocompatibility – Enzymes are derived from biological sources, making them compatible with living organisms and biodegradable, further enhancing their environmental profile.

Improving the quality of the final product

But enzymes aren't just about making processes run like clockwork – they can also take your products to the next level. In fact, you’d be surprised to learn how many enzymes are behind some of the most common products we use every day.

Picture this: you’re an industrial bakery group and need to improve the quality of your line of commercial cookies. By applying enzymes, you would be able to refine the texture, intensify the flavor profile, and even boost the nutritional value of your goodies.

Whether used as additives in food and beverage production or as active ingredients in pharmaceutical formulations, enzymes offer unique benefits:

• • Functional Enhancement – Enzymes can enhance the functionality of products by catalyzing specific reactions that improve texture, flavor, or nutritional value. For example, enzymes are used in the production of cheese to accelerate curd formation and improve flavor development.
  • Customization – Enzymes enable the customization of products to meet specific consumer preferences or regulatory requirements. By selecting enzymes with desired properties, manufacturers can tailor product characteristics such as viscosity, shelf life, or color.
  • Label-Friendly Solutions – Enzymes offer a natural and label-friendly alternative to synthetic additives and processing aids, appealing to consumers seeking clean-label products with minimal additives.
  • Enhanced Performance – Enzyme-based products often exhibit superior performance compared to their conventional counterparts. In pharmaceuticals, enzymes may improve drug efficacy, reduce side effects, or enable novel drug delivery mechanisms.
  • Final product purity  – Given the specificity that enzyme reactions can reach, the results are pure final products with no other traces, something highly valuable in cosmetic or pharmaceutical formulations that need to meet high quality standards required by both regulations and customers.

Choosing between the two

So is one application better than the other? Not really.

It all depends on the specific needs of your project. If your priority is to optimize the production process of your product, look for biocatalytic solutions that are focused on improving the chemical process.

If, on the other hand, you need to enhance the properties of your final product, look for enzyme solutions that can boost your product’s performance without compromising other existing qualities.

Make an analysis of your needs and conditions, and don’t be afraid to start your journey with biocatalysis. As you can see, it’s all advantages down the road!