Hydrolysis and Enzymolysis: A Detailed Comparative Study on the Production of Amino Acids

With the rapid development of biotechnology, the methods for producing amino acids have also been continuously improved and perfected.

Among them, hydrolysis and enzymolysis are two commonly used production methods.

Hydrolysis method for producing amino acids is the process of using strong acids or bases to hydrolyze proteins into amino acids. Specifically, acid hydrolysis mainly uses hydrochloric acid (such as hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, etc.) to decompose proteins into amino acids; The alkaline hydrolysis method uses sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide to hydrolyze proteins. The essence of the reaction is that strong acids or bases break down the peptide bonds of proteins, causing them to break down into individual amino acids.

The enzymolysis method utilizes specific enzymes (such as trypsin, pepsin, etc.) to break down proteins into amino acids. Enzymes are biocatalysts that can facilitate specific chemical reactions at lower temperatures and under milder conditions. During the enzymatic hydrolysis process, enzymes act as catalysts to accelerate the reaction of protein breakdown into amino acids.

In industrial production, hydrolysis method is less commonly used due to its high temperature and pressure equipment, high operating costs, and potential environmental pollution.

In contrast, enzymolysis has the advantages of short reaction time, simple operation, high product purity, and high yield, making it widely used in industrial production. It should be noted that different enzymes have different optimal temperatures and pH values. Therefore, in industrial production, it is necessary to select suitable enzymes based on specific production conditions.

Hydrolysis and enzymolysis each have their own advantages and disadvantages, and the specific choice of method for amino acid production needs to be judged and decided based on the actual situation.

Although hydrolysis method has the advantages of high yield and simple operation, it has problems such as poor reaction conditions, low product purity and quality, high production cost, and significant environmental impact.

In contrast, although enzymolysis has a slightly lower yield, it has advantages such as mild reaction conditions, high product purity, good quality, high yield, and minimal environmental impact. In the actual production process, the yield and purity of enzymatic hydrolysis can be improved by optimizing the process and selecting appropriate enzymes to meet the needs of industrial production.

In addition, with the continuous development of biotechnology and the emergence of new technologies, the production of amino acids in the future will be more efficient, environmentally friendly, and energy-saving.