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Cellulases, Hemicellulases, and Pectinases: Applications in the Food and Beverage Industry

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Abstract

Enzymes are present in all naturally occurring forms of life, including plants, animals, and microorganisms. Enzymes have been used in the food industry to transform a raw material into a main product, to modify the functional characteristics of a product, and/or to control or improve food processes. The cell wall of plant cells is composed of a complex network of polysaccharides, including cellulose, hemicelluloses, and pectin, with interactions between these structures. Selective enzymes for the degradation of cell wall components, such as cellulases, hemicellulases, and pectinases, are used to perform hydrolytic actions on the respective cell wall components. Cellulases and hemicellulases play a predominant role in the hydrolysis of lignocellulosic substrates, and pectinolytic enzymes are used to degrade pectic structures. Along with this, cellulolytic, hemicellulolytic, and pectinolytic enzymes have been used in the food industry in different processes such as in fruit and vegetable processing industries, wine production, baking process, essential oil recovery, and vegetable oil extraction. This review discusses the major applications of cellulases, hemicellulases, and pectinases and their cleavage characteristics, sources (mainly microbial), and features of the substrates in the food and beverage industries.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to Food and Nutrition Graduate Program at Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro and for a student fellowship provided by PROATEC (Technical Support Program for Teaching, Research and Extension Activities).

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Correspondence to Haroldo Yukio Kawaguti.

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de Souza, T.S.P., Kawaguti, H.Y. Cellulases, Hemicellulases, and Pectinases: Applications in the Food and Beverage Industry. Food Bioprocess Technol 14, 1446–1477 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11947-021-02678-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11947-021-02678-z

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