Innovative approaches for enzyme immobilization in milk processing: advancements and industrial applications.

The dairy industry is progressively integrating advanced enzyme technologies to optimize processing efficiency and elevate product quality. Among these technologies, enzyme immobilization has emerged as a pivotal innovation, offering considerable benefits in terms of enzyme reusability, stability, and overall process sustainability. This review paper explores the latest improvements in enzyme immobilization techniques and their industrial applications within milk processing. It examines various immobilization strategies, including adsorption, affinity binding, ionic and covalent binding, entrapment, encapsulation, and cross-linking, highlighting their effectiveness in improving the performance of key enzymes such as lactases, lipases, proteases and transglutaminases. The paper also delves into the economic and ecological benefits of enzyme immobilization, emphasizing its role in reducing production costs and environmental impact while maintaining or enhancing the quality of dairy products. By analyzing current trends and technological developments, this review provides a comprehensive overview of how innovative enzyme immobilization approaches are transforming milk processing. It concludes with a discussion on future research directions and potential industrial applications, underscoring the importance of continued innovation in this field to meet the increasing demands of the global dairy market.