Proteolytic enzymes from fish and their utilization

Abstract

Enzymes are biological catalysts accelerating chemical reactions and are important tools for improving product quality or processing operations. Among the enzymes used in food processing, hydrolases consist of the largest portion, and proteases mark the second largest group following carbohydrases. Most proteases are used in the variety of food products such as agricultural, dairy, meat, and fish products. Among the potential applications, the proteases from marine animals have been most successfully used as seafood processing aids such as accelerating fermentation of fish sauce and fish protein hydrolysates, improving quality of seafood flavoring agents, improving yields of caviar products, and simplifying deskinning and descaling process. The advantages of using proteases from marine animals in specific applications are due to their unique properties. © 2002, The Japanese Society of Fisheries Science. All rights reserved.