Breakthrough in Enzyme Research Enables Tailored Use of Brown Algae Compounds
An international team led by the University of Barcelona has uncovered the mechanism by which the enzyme alginate lyase (AL) degrades alginates, complex polysaccharides derived from brown algae. This discovery, published in Nature Communications, paves the way for producing “tailored alginates” with specific properties for applications in the food and biomedical industries.
Alginates are abundant in marine environments but exhibit variability in their natural composition, hindering their use in precise applications. The UB researchers, including José Pablo Rivas-Fernández and Carme Rovira, in collaboration with experts from Denmark, Norway, and the United States, employed computational analysis using the MareNostrum 5 supercomputer to study the interaction between AL enzymes and different alginate variants. This research provides insights into designing AL enzymes with enhanced catalytic properties, facilitating large-scale production of customized alginates.
For more details, you can read the full article on the University of Barcelona’s website: Key mechanism to obtain brown algae-derived compounds with biotech applications.