Ureases in the beverage industry

Abstract

Ureases are used in the food industry to remove urea, one of the main precursors of ethyl carbamate (EC), a naturally occurring contaminant that represents a hazard for food safety. This chapter introduces the problem of EC presence in fermented beverages and reports the updated allowable limits in various classes of alcoholic beverages. Then it describes the properties of acid ureases, a particular class of ureases that have proved effective biocatalysts for urea removal in alcoholic beverages to prevent EC formation. Examples of applications in the treatment of alcoholic beverages including regulations for the use of urease in several countries are reported. This chapter finally focuses on the kinetics of urea removal by acid urease and its use as an immobilized biocatalyst. © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.