Research Progress on Mechanoenzymology in Food Processing

Mechanoenzymology has emerged as a mechanical enzyme catalysis strategy in the food field due to its solvent-free or solvent-less characteristics. Solvent-free mechanoenzymatic catalysis reaction can effectively use the specificity, regioselectivity and stereoselectivity of enzymes, and simultaneously avoid the problems with traditional solution reactions such as the limitation of solubility in organic solvents and the residues of toxic and harmful products. Therefore, it has the advantages of efficient production, safety, environmental friendliness, sustainability and maximization of atomic economy, and has important application value in food processing such as material pretreatment. In this context, this paper reviews enzyme-catalyzed ball milling and twin-screw extrusion without solvent, discusses the key factors affecting the stability and recyclability of the catalyst in mechanoenzymatic catalysis reaction and the application of mechanoenzymatic catalysis reaction in food processing, and highlights the challenges and development trends in the field of mechanoenzymology, aiming to provide some references for research on mechanoenzymatic catalysis technology. In the future, the application scope of mechano-enzymology in the field of foods can be expanded through the development of enzyme mimics that can simulate the key characteristics of natural enzymes and new enzyme immobilization technologies and through innovative research such as exploring the mechanism of mechanoenzymatic catalysis reaction.