ABSTRACT
The use of the catalytic action of enzymes in the production of goods for food and feed is deeply rooted in mankind. Thus, the most ancient reports on biotransformation/fermentation date back to 6000 BC, involving beer production (Buchholz and Collins 2013; Gurung et al. 2013). This close trend between enzymes and food and feed endured, ultimately including relevant milestones in enzyme technology, such as the isomerization of glucose to fructose, which, combined with immobilization and merged in a cascade of amylase-catalyzed reactions, led to the production of high fructose corn syrup, one of the largest volume operations solely involving enzymes, or the production of enantiomerically pure amino acids for use as food additives or as building blocks for the production of sweeteners (Bornscheuer et al. 2012; Liese et al. 2006; Wenda et al. 2011). These are some of the well-known applications of enzymes in the food and feed industry, part of a universe that corresponds to the largest fraction of industrial enzymes. Thus, a recent review states that, on its own, the revenues of the enzyme market for food and beverage in 2011 were $1.2 billion with a prospective value of $1.8 billion by 2016 (Adrio and Demain 2014). On top of this, the market for feed enzymes presented revenue of $780 million by 2012 and is expected to reach $1.2 billion by 2018 (Anonymous 2014). It is therefore understandable that the use of enzymes for practical uses increases, and different methodologies based on their use are constantly being designed and tested. The present work aims to present some of these, based on application in given goods and applications within food and feed.
