1. Food Industry
Lysozyme is widely used as a natural preservative, replacing synthetic additives (e.g., sulfites) due to its safety and antimicrobial properties:
Cheese production: Prevents spoilage by inhibiting Gram-positive bacteria (e.g., Clostridium tyrobutyricum, which causes "late blowing" in cheese).
Wine and beer: Controls lactic acid bacteria that cause spoilage (e.g., off-flavors, cloudiness).
Meat and seafood: Extends shelf life by reducing bacterial growth on surfaces.
2. Pharmaceuticals and Healthcare
Antimicrobial agent: Used in eye drops (to treat bacterial conjunctivitis), nasal sprays (fighting sinus infections), and wound dressings (preventing infection in cuts or burns).
Baby products: Added to infant formula (mimicking the lysozyme in breast milk) to support gut health and immunity.
Oral care: Included in toothpaste or mouthwash to reduce oral bacteria (e.g., Streptococcus mutans, which causes tooth decay).
3. Biotechnology and Research
Cell lysis: Used to break down bacterial cell walls in laboratories to extract intracellular components (e.g., DNA, proteins) for research or industrial production (e.g., recombinant proteins).
Antimicrobial studies: Serves as a model enzyme to study innate immune responses and develop new antibacterial agents.
4. Agriculture
Crop protection: Applied as a biopesticide to prevent bacterial infections in plants (e.g., blight in tomatoes).
Livestock feed: Added to animal feed to reduce pathogenic bacteria in the gut, improving health and growth.
