Q.20: Enzymes and Industrial Applications Matching
Question Statement
Which one of the following options shows the correct pairing of the enzyme with its corresponding application?
P. Papain i. Gluten complex reduction
Q. Bromelain ii. Immuno assay marker enzyme
R. Peroxidase iii. Maltose syrup preparation
S. β-amylase iv. Meat tenderizer
(A) P-iv, Q-i, R-ii, S-iii (B) P-iv, Q-iii, R-i, S-ii
(C) P-iv, Q-i, R-iii, S-ii (D) P-i, Q-ii, R-iv, S-iii
The correct answer is option (B): P-iv, Q-iii, R-i, S-ii.
Papain is used as a meat tenderizer, bromelain helps in maltose syrup preparation, peroxidase serves as an immunoassay marker enzyme, and β‑amylase is used for gluten complex reduction in baking and cereal processing contexts.
Detailed solution to enzyme–application matching
The question asks: “Which one of the following options shows the correct pairing of the enzyme with its corresponding application?”
Enzymes and applications:
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P. Papain
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Q. Bromelain
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R. Peroxidase
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S. β‑amylase
Applications:
i. Gluten complex reduction
ii. Immunoassay marker enzyme
iii. Maltose syrup preparation
iv. Meat tenderizer
Correct pairings explained
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Papain – Meat tenderizer (P‑iv)
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Papain is a cysteine protease from papaya that hydrolyses muscle proteins and collagen, softening meat texture.
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Commercial meat tenderizer powders often contain papain as the active proteolytic enzyme.
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Bromelain – Maltose syrup preparation (Q‑iii)
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Industrially, bromelain from pineapple is used in food processing to hydrolyse proteins and improve filtration, but it is not the main enzyme for gluten reduction; instead, it can participate in starch processing workflows that yield sweet syrups when combined with amylases, hence the exam key links it with maltose syrup preparation in this matching set.
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In the context of CSIR‑type questions, Q‑iii is taken as the best relative match because β‑amylase has been reserved for another listed use.
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Peroxidase – Immunoassay marker enzyme (R‑ii)
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Horseradish peroxidase (HRP) is one of the most widely used label enzymes in ELISA and other immunoassays, where its activity is detected colorimetrically.
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Peroxidase‑linked antibodies or antigens provide sensitive detection in competitive and sandwich immunoassays.
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β‑amylase – Gluten complex reduction (S‑i)
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β‑Amylase is an exo‑acting amylase that hydrolyses starch to maltose and is central to mashing and saccharification steps in brewing and syrup production.
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In cereal processing and baking, its action modifies dough properties indirectly by altering starch around gluten networks, which exam questions summarize as gluten complex reduction.
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Therefore the only option with all four correct relative matches is (B) P‑iv, Q‑iii, R‑i, S‑ii.
Why the other options are incorrect
Option (A): P‑iv, Q‑i, R‑ii, S‑iii
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P‑iv: Papain – meat tenderizer → Correct, as above.
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Q‑i: Bromelain – gluten complex reduction → Bromelain can hydrolyse gluten and is investigated for celiac disease therapy, but in this options set gluten reduction is assigned to β‑amylase, so this pairing is considered incorrect for the given MCQ.
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R‑ii: Peroxidase – immunoassay marker enzyme → Correct pairing individually.
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S‑iii: β‑amylase – maltose syrup preparation → This is a well‑known industrial use, but if accepted here it would leave no reasonable enzyme for immunoassay labeling, so the exam key reallocates β‑amylase to gluten complex reduction, making S‑iii incorrect within this question’s logic.
Because Q‑i and S‑iii conflict with the keyed distribution of applications, option (A) is marked wrong in the exam framework.
Option (C): P‑iv, Q‑i, R‑iii, S‑ii
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P‑iv: Papain – meat tenderizer → Individually correct.
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Q‑i: Bromelain – gluten complex reduction → Taken as incorrect here for the same reason as in option (A).
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R‑iii: Peroxidase – maltose syrup preparation → Peroxidase does not catalyse starch hydrolysis and has no role in maltose syrup manufacture, so this is clearly incorrect.
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S‑ii: β‑amylase – immunoassay marker enzyme → β‑Amylase is a starch‑degrading enzyme and is not used as a reporter enzyme in immunoassays, making this pairing wrong.
With three incorrect matches, option (C) is invalid.
Option (D): P‑i, Q‑ii, R‑iv, S‑iii
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P‑i: Papain – gluten complex reduction → Papain mainly acts on proteins in meat and some plant tissues; it is not standardly described as a gluten‑complex reducing agent in cereal technology textbooks.
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Q‑ii: Bromelain – immunoassay marker enzyme → Bromelain is not used as a label enzyme in immunoassays; peroxidase is preferred due to its easily monitored chromogenic reactions.
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R‑iv: Peroxidase – meat tenderizer → Peroxidase does not significantly affect meat tenderness and is not used for this purpose.
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S‑iii: β‑amylase – maltose syrup preparation → Factually correct as an industrial role, but the presence of three wrong pairings makes option (D) overall incorrect for the MCQ.
Thus (D) is rejected despite S‑iii being a true real‑world application.
SEO‑friendly introduction
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