Department of Food Biotechnology and Microbiology, Institute of Food Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Sciences-SGGW, Nowoursynowska 159 C, 02-776 Warsaw, Poland.
Molecules. 2021 Mar 25;26(7):1858. doi: 10.3390/molecules26071858.
Over the past several decades, we have observed a very rapid development in the biotechnological use of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in various branches of the food industry. All such areas of activity of these bacteria are very important and promise enormous economic and industrial successes. LAB are a numerous group of microorganisms that have the ability to ferment sugars into lactic acid and to produce proteolytic enzymes. LAB proteolytic enzymes play an important role in supplying cells with the nitrogen compounds necessary for their growth. Their nutritional requirements in this regard are very high. Lactic acid bacteria require many free amino acids to grow. The available amount of such compounds in the natural environment is usually small, hence the main function of these enzymes is the hydrolysis of proteins to components absorbed by bacterial cells. Enzymes are synthesized inside bacterial cells and are mostly secreted outside the cell. This type of proteinase remains linked to the cell wall structure by covalent bonds. Thanks to advances in enzymology, it is possible to obtain and design new enzymes and their preparations that can be widely used in various biotechnological processes. This article characterizes the proteolytic activity, describes LAB nitrogen metabolism and details the characteristics of the peptide transport system. Potential applications of proteolytic enzymes in many industries are also presented, including the food industry.
在过去的几十年中，我们观察到乳酸细菌（LAB）在食品工业的各个分支中的生物技术应用有了非常迅速的发展。这些细菌的所有这些活动领域都非常重要，并承诺带来巨大的经济和工业成功。LAB 是一群能够将糖发酵成乳酸并产生蛋白水解酶的微生物。LAB 蛋白水解酶在为细胞提供生长所需的氮化合物方面发挥着重要作用。它们在这方面的营养需求非常高。乳酸细菌需要许多游离氨基酸才能生长。在自然环境中，此类化合物的可用量通常很小，因此这些酶的主要功能是将蛋白质水解为被细菌细胞吸收的成分。酶在细菌细胞内合成，大部分在细胞外分泌。这种蛋白酶仍然通过共价键与细胞壁结构相连。得益于酶学的进步，有可能获得和设计新的酶及其制剂，这些酶及其制剂可以广泛应用于各种生物技术过程中。本文描述了蛋白水解活性，描述了 LAB 的氮代谢，并详细说明了肽转运系统的特性。还介绍了蛋白水解酶在许多行业中的潜在应用，包括食品工业。
