ABSTRACT
Enzymes are complex proteins or glycoproteins produced by living organisms for the purpose of accelerating biochemical reactions and metabolic processes. These biochemical catalysts act within their host cell, or are secreted outside to assist vital processes such as digestion of food. Early bakers and winemakers were unaware that their products were the result of microbial activity. Louis Pasteur’s work on fermentation clearly demonstrated the role of living microorganisms in this process. In reference to the action of such ferments, Wilhelm Kühne in 1877 coined the term “enzyme,” meaning “in the yeast.” A few years later, Buchner demonstrated the activity of yeast extracts in the absence of living cells. In the following century, the nature, structure, and function of numerous enzymes were elucidated.
