Chinese scientists find novel proteases that can be used for gelatin preparation

Gelatin is a hydrolyzed form of collagen, widely utilized across more than 30 industries, including medicine, food, textiles, chemicals, electronics, paper, and printing. Traditionally, the production of gelatin has relied on chemical methods. However, with advancements in enzyme research and the development of green technologies, enzymatic preparation has emerged as a promising new direction in the field. Recently, Song Wei, a researcher at the Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, led a team that discovered a novel protease through metagenomic sequencing of soil samples. This enzyme was then optimized for use in the enzymatic preparation of gelatin. The new method offers significant advantages in terms of resource efficiency and environmental sustainability, while also being compatible with existing bone processing and gelatin extraction equipment. One of the key benefits of this enzymatic approach is that it does not require additional specialized machinery, allowing traditional production facilities to transition smoothly to the enzymatic process. This makes it easier to scale up production and improve overall efficiency. However, the process still needs continuous optimization to address certain challenges. In China, the traditional bone gelatin industry is mainly located in regions rich in raw materials, such as Inner Mongolia, Qinghai, and Gansu. These areas often face water scarcity, which becomes a major issue due to the high water consumption of traditional methods involving steps like pickling, washing, liming, and neutralization. As a result, regional resource limitations and outdated techniques have hindered the growth of the industry, creating an urgent need for innovation. In the 1980s, enzymatic gelatin production began to emerge. This method uses biological enzymes to break down collagen from animal bones or skins, producing gelatin more efficiently. According to Song Song, the enzymatic method can eliminate many of the acid-alkali washing steps, simplify the process to a single-step reaction, and reduce freshwater usage by over 90%. It also saves energy and reduces the use of acid and base reagents. "Enzymatic preparation not only shortens the production cycle and reduces pollution but also supports automation and improves the quality of the final product," said Ming, a researcher from the Genetic Engineering and Microbial Applied Technology Research Group at the same institute. "It represents the future direction of gelatin production technology." Despite its advantages, enzymatic gelatin preparation still faces several challenges. First, many commonly used proteases, such as those derived from animal organs, papaya, or pineapple, are prone to contamination and high energy consumption. Second, proteases from animal and plant sources often have low activity and poor stability. Third, their activity can be easily affected by the hydrolysate, leading to rapid deactivation. Additionally, the specificity of the resulting collagen hydrolysate is limited, which affects the quality of the final gelatin product. Moreover, pH adjustments are often required during the process, which complicates the procedure and limits further development. To address these issues, the research team at the Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology focused on developing new enzymes for the enzymatic preparation of gelatin. Song Wei noted that the shortcomings of current enzymatic methods are largely due to the limitations of available proteases. At the time, there were no high-temperature proteases specifically designed for gelatin production in the market. Inspired by this, the team extracted relevant genes from microorganisms found in extreme soil environments. They then performed molecular modifications and expressed these genes in a heterologous system, producing a large number of industrial-grade proteases. From these, they conducted screening studies and tested several proteolytic enzymes that showed potential for gelatin preparation. After a comprehensive evaluation of both the technological process and product performance, they identified a new protease with superior activity for gelatin production.

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