Enzymes are the soul that catalyzes various reactions in nature. Many originally difficult chemical reactions can be easily handled by enzymes that are invisible to the naked eye, playing the role of superheroes in daily life. The greater the ability, the greater the responsibility; then what kind of enzyme preparation can be a superhero? The time to test them has arrived.
The first level: higher specific vitality
The ratio of enzyme activity to enzyme weight is called enzyme specific activity. This is a bit like a weightlifting competition. Two players with the same weight, whoever can lift a heavier weight wins. Why should we examine the specific vitality? Because the higher the specific activity, the less enzymes are needed to accomplish the same job. Enzyme itself is also a kind of protein, which can be a nutrient for microorganisms. The more enzymes also represent the more nutrients, the greater the possibility of breeding microorganisms. Therefore, the higher the specific activity of the enzyme, the lower the possibility of microbial contamination, which is vital to the stability of the catalytic reaction system.
The second pass: good thermal stability
Like food, enzyme preparations have a shelf life. This is because the specific activity of the enzyme preparation will slowly decrease over time, and when it drops to a certain level, the enzyme cannot continue to perform its expected function. In a high temperature environment, the enzyme activity will decrease faster. Thermal stability is an important reference for judging enzymes. Enzyme preparations with good thermal stability can withstand the toss of environmental temperature changes and have more obvious advantages in terms of validity and transportation.
The third pass: a wide range of pH stability
pH is a parameter describing the degree of acidity and alkalinity of the aqueous solution. Enzymes have different catalytic activities in different pH environments; enzyme preparations can maintain stable activity within a certain pH range, and over-acid or over-alkali will reduce the stability of the enzyme. If an enzyme can maintain high activity in a wide pH range, it means that the enzyme has good compatibility with catalytic reaction systems of different pH and is the first choice for consideration.
Fourth hurdle: specific substrate specificity
One must be dedicated to being a human being, and dedicated to doing enzymes. If an enzyme preparation is not selective to the substrate, the products of the catalytic reaction will be diverse and uncontrolled. A specific enzyme preparation will only convert substances with the same structure into products. Even if it is surrounded by other substances, it will only "love" the only substrate, and there will be no stories that shouldn't happen.
The fifth level: strong anti-interference ability
In the catalytic reaction system, in addition to enzymes, other substances will be added as needed; the raw materials participating in the reaction will also carry certain impurities. The appearance of these substances will affect the activity of enzyme preparations. Even with the appearance of interfering substances, excellent enzyme preparations will continue to show good vitality and continue to play a core role in inducing reactions.
Enzyme preparations that can pass these five tests have the basic qualities to become a superhero. However, the distance allows these superheroes to exert their powerful catalytic ability, and there is still a long way to go. In the future, Desheng Technology will continue to introduce other knowledge about enzymes for you.
