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Review
. 2022 Sep 24;27(19):6305.
doi: 10.3390/molecules27196305.

Lysozyme and Its Application as Antibacterial Agent in Food Industry

Nida Nawaz  1 , Sai Wen  1 , Fenghuan Wang  1 , Shiza Nawaz  2   3 , Junaid Raza  4 , Maryam Iftikhar  5 , Muhammad Usman  5
Affiliations
Review

Lysozyme and Its Application as Antibacterial Agent in Food Industry

Nida Nawaz et al. Molecules. .

Abstract

Lysozymes are hydrolytic enzymes characterized by their ability to cleave the β-(1,4)-glycosidic bonds in peptidoglycan, a major structural component of the bacterial cell wall. This hydrolysis action compromises the integrity of the cell wall, causing the lysis of bacteria. For more than 80 years, its role of antibacterial defense in animals has been renowned, and it is also used as a preservative in foods and pharmaceuticals. In order to improve the antimicrobial efficacy of lysozyme, extensive research has been intended for its modifications. This manuscript reviews the natural antibiotic compound lysozyme with reference to its catalytic and non-catalytic mode of antibacterial action, lysozyme types, susceptibility and resistance of bacteria, modification of lysozyme molecules, and its applications in the food industry.

Keywords: bacterial resistance; catalytic effect; lysozyme; modification; natural food preservative; non-catalytic effect.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Hydrolytic mechanism of action of lysozyme on β(1–4) linkages between NAM and NAG residues of the bacterial cell wall backbone.
Figure 2
Figure 2
AFM phase imaging: Non-treated E. coli K12 cells (A); cells treated with native lysozyme (N-L) at 0.25 g/L (B); cells treated with dry-heated lysozyme (DH-L) at 0.25 g/L (C). The z-range is from 0 to 4 V. “Reprinted with permission from [52]. Copyright © 2022 American Chemical Society”.
Figure 3
Figure 3
SEM images of S. aureus and E. coli under the exposure of buffer (Tris−HCl, pH 7.2, control), HEWL fibril, HEWL oligomer, and HEWL after 6 h. Scale bar, 2 μm. “Reprinted with permission from [53]. Copyright © 2022 American Chemical Society”.
Figure 4
Figure 4
N-deacetylation of NAG (a) or NAM (b).
Figure 5
Figure 5
O-acetylation of NAM.
Figure 6
Figure 6
N-glycolylation of NAM.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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