Applications of Marine Microbial Enzymes

The marine environment is the largest aquatic ecosystem on the planet and it harbors a large number of enzymes with potential for different applications. These enzymes have well-known habitat-related characteristics such as salt tolerance, stress tolerance, hyperthermostability, and cold adaptivity. In addition, their novel chemical and stereochemical properties have increased the research interest of biocatalysis researchers in academia and industry.

Different enzymes have been isolated and purified from marine microorganisms, marine animals and marine plants. Among all enzyme sources, microorganisms are the most common because of their wide biochemical diversity, feasibility of large-scale culture, and ease of genetic manipulation. In recent years, researchers have isolated a wide range of enzymes with specific activities from marine bacteria, actinomycetes, fungi and other marine microorganisms, and some of these enzyme products have been used in various industries, such as food, pharmaceuticals, leather, textiles and animal feed.

Examples of marine microbial enzymes and their applications

Several common marine microbial enzymes and their potential applications are described below.

• Lipases

Lipases are a widely used and versatile group of enzymes that catalyze the breakdown of fats and oils, subsequently releasing free fatty acids, diacylglycerols, monoglycerols and glycerol. In addition, lipases are also effective in reactions such as esterification, transesterification, and aminolysis ^[1]. Commercially, only lipases of microbial origin are widely used. Marine microbial lipases serve as versatile biocatalysts with promising prospects in meeting the needs of multiple industries such as biodiesel, food and beverage, leather, textiles, detergents, pharmaceutical and medical products.

• Polysaccharide-degrading enzymes

Polysaccharide-degrading enzymes catalyze the cleavage of glycosidic bonds in polysaccharide macromolecules and produce oligosaccharides with low degrees of polymerization. Correspondingly, marine polysaccharide-degrading enzymes of microbial origin can produce marine oligosaccharides with beneficial properties such as anti-tumour, anti-viral, anti-coagulant and anti-inflammatory activities. These oligosaccharides have important value in different industries. For example, cellulase, xylanase and amylase are used in baking, brewing and the production of natural sweeteners. Carrageenolytic enzymes are used for the liquefaction of carrageenan for applications in the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. Cellulolytic enzymes and lignolytic enzymes are beneficial for biofuel production, as the degradation of polysaccharide biomass is a major challenge in the development of plant-derived biofuels ^[2].

• Proteases

Proteases are enzymes that catalyze proteolysis, breaking down proteins into shorter polypeptides or single amino acids, and spurring the formation of new protein products ^[3]. Proteases are essential for most living organisms, such as bacteria, algae, plants, animals and in some viruses too. Among proteases from various sources, marine microbial proteases have attracted much attention due to their extremophilic properties and stability in the presence of various chemicals. They possess almost all the properties required for the various biotechnological applications of proteases. They are therefore widely used not only in food processing, detergents, leather and pharmaceutical industries, but also in biotechnology research and have potential applications in bioremediation and waste management ^[2].

Alfa Chemistry is passionate about marine biological resources. We have creatively isolated and purified a variety of marine enzymes from marine microorganisms, which have been used in a wide range of applications in food, pharmaceutical, textile processing and fabric finishing. If you are also interested, please feel free to contact us. Let's create new possibilities together!

References

1. Zhang, C.; et al. Research and application of marine microbial enzymes: status and prospects. Marine drugs. 2010, 8(6): 1920-1934.
2. Muffler, K.; et al. Marine enzymes–production & applications. Springer handbook of marine biotechnology. 2015: 413-429.
3. Bond, J. S.; et al. Proteases: multifunctional enzymes in life and disease. Journal of Biological Chemistry. 2008, 283(45): 30433-30437.

For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic or therapeutic procedures.