Medycyna Wet. 65 (12), 817-822, 2009
| Malinowska-Pańczyk E., Kołodziejska I. |
| Food enzymes and their sensitivity to high pressure |
| Changes in the structure enzyme proteins occurring under high pressure can in some cases limit the usefulness of the high pressure technique in the preservation or mild processing of food. However, other changes can be advantageous in forming functional properties of food products. High pressure can affect the activity of proteolytic enzymes of meat by changing their conformation or releasing organelles from the cell and through the increase in concentration of activators or inhibitors in a reaction medium. Changes in enzyme activity, mainly of cathepsins and calpains, caused by high pressure affect the texture of meat. The final effect depends on many factors, primarily on the parameters of pressurization and the post mortem state of meat. The enzymes of coldwater fish are more sensitive to high pressure than their counterparts present in mammal meat or fish living in warm waters. The high pressure causing partial inactivation of oxydoreductases and lipolytic enzymes prevents the deterioration of the sensory quality of the product. |
| Key words: high pressure, endogenous enzymes of meat |