All living things have chemicals that are involved in multiple cellular processes, some of these substances are enzymes. The catalysts of biological reactions are known by the name of enzymes, biological catalysts or biocatalysts, formerly called ferments.
Enzymes are proteinaceous compounds are produced intra-and extracellularly and are essential for all metabolic processes of living organisms. The presence of biocatalysts accelerates biochemical reactions of respiration, growth and cellular metabolism These cellular processes are catalyzed without distorting or altering enzymes biochemically.
Nature of enzymes:
Several researchers have conducted studies to determine how to produce the enzymes in living things and what elements are formed. Regarding the origin of biocatalysts has been established that the enzyme characteristics are defined by the genes, which are transmitted hereditarily and can multiply. And it is precisely the genes agents responsible for the production, function and enzyme composition.
The biochemical nature of the enzymes was established from the result obtained from a series of experiments of extraction and purification, determined that the enzymes are made up protein, The proportion, type and structure are characteristic for each enzyme.
Moreover, enzymes are important to carry out different types of industrial reactions and for this, these enzymes are obtained through various methods and molecular biotechnology. The enzymes produced are generally more concentrated than the product in its original state and can sometimes be generated from bacteria, fungi or yeast.
Enzymes and cofactors:
The catalytic activity of several enzymes, depends only on its structure and protein, while others require addition of one or more protein components called cofactors. The cofactor may be a metal ion, an organic molecule or coenzyme.
The enzymes that require metal ions, the metal has various functions constitute the primary catalytic center, act as bonding to form the enzyme-substrate complex and finally to be stabilizing agents of the conformation of the enzyme protein in its active form.
Application of biological catalysts:
The use of biocatalysts in industry are numerous. Enzymes have been used since antiquity in the preparation of cheese, yogurt and kefir, as well as in the fermentation of various fruits into wine, beer and vinegar.
The sanitary products industry enzymes used to produce different types of biodegradable detergents in the cosmetology industry in the development of hypoallergenic items and processes typical of the industry of green chemistry.
An example of the usefulness of enzymes in industry is the reaction that uses sucrose combined with microorganism such as yeast, fungi or bacteria, in the presence of one or a group of specific enzymes in this industry, the sugar is transformed into products such as:
– ethanol
– carbon dioxide
– glycerol
– citric acid
– gluconic acid
– acetone
– other products
