Functions/Applications of Trypsin in Food Processing and Food Science Research

Trypsin is a serine protease in the digestive system of human and animals. The main function of this enzyme is to hydrolyze proteins into smaller peptides or even amino acids. Trypsin and other digestive proteases such as chymotrypsin are responsible for the digestion of food protein in the small intestine. This proteolytic function of trypsin has been widely used in protein chemistry, proteomics and nutrition research. This function is influenced by the sources of enzyme, and environmental factors such as pH, temperature, and the presence of trypsin inhibitors in the enzymatic reaction medium. In food processing, trypsin or a trypsin preparation which usually contains other enzymes has been used to improve both the functional and nutritional quality of food proteins. This chapter provides a review of the sources of trypsin preparation for food processing and the applications trypsin in food processing to 1) improve the functional properties such as solubility, emulsification, foaming and gelling properties of food proteins, 2) improve the digestibility of vegetable and seed proteins, 3) produce protein hydrolysates and bioactive peptides that are used in infant formulas and for people with special health problems such as hypertension, and 4) reduce the concentration of allergens in some foods. The applications of trypsin in food science research including food protein sequencing, in vitro determination of food protein digestibility, and evaluating the impacts of food processing methods on the activity of trypsin inhibitors are also covered in this chapter.