Lysozyme

Lysozyme (muramidase) is a natural antimicrobial enzyme extracted from hen egg white that hydrolyses the beta-1,4 bond between N-acetylmuramic acid and N-acetyl-D-glucosamine in bacterial peptidoglycan, lysing Gram-positive cell walls.

White to off-white free-flowing powder. Activity is standardised in FIP Units (International Pharmaceutical Federation) or Shugar Units, with the standard food and pharmaceutical grade specified at minimum 20,000 FIP U/mg.

We supply food-grade and pharmaceutical-grade Lysozyme from manufacturers in China holding ISO 22000, Halal, Kosher and other certifications relevant to the product and production.

Common market grades include standard 20,000 FIP U/mg for cheese late-blowing prevention and sake clarification, 30,000 FIP U/mg high-purity for premium food and pharmaceutical use, 40,000 FIP U/mg pharmaceutical grade, and lysozyme hydrochloride salt for improved solubility in specific applications.

Bulk and reduced-MOQ shipments. Batch-level COA covering activity, pH optimum, temperature optimum, moisture, heavy metals and microbiology.

Lysozyme was discovered by Alexander Fleming in 1922, several years before his discovery of penicillin, when he noticed that nasal mucus dropped onto a bacterial culture lysed the colonies. The enzyme was characterised structurally by David Phillips and colleagues in 1965, becoming the first enzyme to have its three-dimensional structure determined by X-ray crystallography.

Industrial production starts with fresh hen egg white, separated from yolk and processed through cation-exchange chromatography, ultrafiltration and crystallisation to yield purified lysozyme. China and Japan are the dominant global producers, with European production concentrated in Belgium and Italy serving the regional cheese industry.

The enzyme is Generally Recognized as Safe by the U.S. FDA, listed in the JECFA enzyme compendium, approved as a food additive in the EU under E1105, and listed in USP, EP and JP pharmacopoeias for pharmaceutical use. Egg allergen labelling applies in finished food products.

Mechanistically, lysozyme cleaves the beta-1,4 glycosidic bond between N-acetylmuramic acid and N-acetyl-D-glucosamine in the peptidoglycan backbone of bacterial cell walls. Gram-positive bacteria, with their exposed peptidoglycan layer, are highly susceptible; Gram-negative bacteria are protected by an outer lipopolysaccharide membrane and require synergistic treatments such as EDTA for sensitisation.

Strategic positioning in industrial food processing is anchored in the European hard-cheese segment, where lysozyme prevents the late-blowing defect caused by butyric acid fermentation, and the Asian sake and rice-wine industries, where it controls Hiochi bacteria.

• Hard cheese late-blowing prevention; inhibits Clostridium tyrobutyricum spore germination in Grana Padano, Parmigiano Reggiano, Edam and Gouda
• Sake clarification and shelf-life extension; controls lactic acid bacteria spoilage
• Wine clarification and microbial stability; alternative to sulphur dioxide at controlled doses
• Cured meat and sausage shelf-life extension; controls Listeria and Gram-positive spoilage organisms
• Infant formula supplementation; mimics the natural lysozyme content of human breast milk
• Pharmaceutical anti-inflammatory and topical formulations
• Consumer chewing gum and lozenges positioned for oral antimicrobial action
• Pet food preservation against Gram-positive spoilage