Enzyme Catalysis in Biochemistry

The phenomenon of enzyme catalysis is discussed by the author in this chapter, and the role of the phenomenon in both industrial applications and biochemical processes. Enzymes are biochemical catalysts, and they are highly specific and efficient catalysts of reactions under mild conditions without being depleted. The chapter explores the enzyme structure, the active sites and substrate specificity, and this prevents the understanding of how the catalytic activity is determined by the molecular architecture. It also introduces the Michaelis-Menten kinetics, i.e. the relationship between substrate concentration and rate, and also emphasises such parameters as Vmax and Km and the use of enzymes in industrial processes, particularly food processing, pharmaceutical, biofuels, detergents and waste treatment and hence a sustainable and environmentally friendly process. The chapter places more emphasis on enzyme immobilization, enhancing stability, and optimization of processes that will ensure its successful implementation on an industrial level. The chapter provides an insight that is comprehensive as it relates biochemistry and industrial chemistry to enable the reader to understand how enzymatic catalysis could be used to increase the rate of reaction, reduce energy consumption, and mitigate the environmental effects. This is crucial to the learners who are strategizing to be experts in the field of biotechnology, biochemical engineering, and industrial enzymology.