Pullulanase: unleashing the power of enzyme with a promising future in the food industry

Bindu Naik; Vijay Kumar; S K Goyal; Abhishek Dutt Tripathi; Sadhna Mishra; Per Erik Joakim Saris; Akhilesh Kumar; Sheikh Rizwanuddin; Vivek Kumar; Sarvesh Rustagi

doi:10.3389/fbioe.2023.1139611

Pullulanase: unleashing the power of enzyme with a promising future in the food industry

Front Bioeng Biotechnol. 2023 Jun 28:11:1139611. doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2023.1139611. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Food Science and Technology, Graphic Era (Deemed to be University), Uttarakhand, India.
² Himalayan School of Biosciences, Swami Rama Himalayan University, Dehradun, India.
³ Department of Agricultural Engineering, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India.
⁴ Department of Dairy Science and Food Technology, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India.
⁵ Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, GLA University, Mathura, India.
⁶ Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
⁷ Department of Food Technology, UCLAS, Uttaranchal University, Dehradun, India.

Abstract

Pullulanases are the most important industrial group of enzymes in family 13 glycosyl hydrolases. They hydrolyze either α-1,6 and α-1,4 or both glycosidic bonds in pullulan as well as other carbohydrates to produce glucose, maltose, and maltotriose syrups, which have important uses in food and other related sectors. However, very less reports are available on pullulanase production from native strains because of low yield issues. In line with the increasing demands for pullulanase, it has become important to search for novel pullulanase-producing microorganisms with high yields. Moreover, high production costs and low yield are major limitations in the industrial production of pullulanase enzymes. The production cost of pullulanase by using the solid-state fermentation (SSF) process can be minimized by selecting agro-industrial waste. This review summarizes the types, sources, production strategies, and potential applications of pullulanase in different food and other related industries. Researchers should focus on fungal strains producing pullulanase for better yield and low production costs by using agro-waste. It will prove a better enzyme in different food processing industries and will surely reduce the cost of products.

Keywords: agro-waste; fungi; industrial applications; pullulanase; solid-state fermentation.

Publication types

Review