Enzymatic Degumming

This chapter provides an overview on enzymatic degumming. Enzymatic degumming is an important technology for today and the future. The implementation of phospholipases, in order to reduce neutral oil losses, transforms the native phospholipids into recoverable DAGs and fatty acids, while reducing the amount of material lost in the soap stock or sent back to the meal is an important part of profitability, while reducing harsh chemicals and increasing the sustainability of a processor today. Traditionally, phospholipids have been removed by water or acid degumming followed by a caustic refining process in order to reduce the levels to meet specifications for food or industrial applications. Advances in biotechnology have allowed the development of enzymatic degumming as a sustainable purification method able to achieve the same, if not better, results than the traditional chemical methods while greatly increasing yields and reducing chemicals, wastes, energy, and overall costs.