Cellulases in paper and pulp, brewing and food industries: Principles associated with its diverse applications

Enzyme use has provided boost to the technoeconomics of many industrial processes. In this chapter, we summarize different cellulase-based industrial processes for preparation of paper, pulp, brewing products, and different foods. This review presents a brief chemistry and mechanism of cellulose degradation by the cellulase enzyme. Also, cellulase production abilities of many microbial species have been addressed in this chapter. Cellulase plays a major role in production of good-quality paper and pulp. It’s used to debark the biomass and to remove lignocellulosic part. This enzyme also has application in recycling of used paper by deinking and biobleaching. Cellulase enhances freeness and drainage ability of the fibers without compromising the brightness of the fibers. In brewing industry, cellulase in combination of other enzymes is used to extract the more sugar for better-quality alcohol production. Cellulases have a wide range of potential applications in food and beverage processing, production of fruit and vegetable juices, and improvement of methods for extraction, clarification, and stabilization.