FoodSci.Tec'hnol.Res.,6(3).151-160,2000ReviewRecentResearchTrendsinTransglutaminaseTechnologyforFoodProcessingMasaoMOTOKIandYoshiyukiKUMAZAWAFoodResearchandDevelopmentLaboratories,AjinomotoCo.,Inc.l-]Suzuki-Cho,Kawasaki-Ku,Kawasaki-Shi,2]0-8681,JapanReceivedMarch3,2000;AcceptedJune5,2000Basedonthehypothesisthatcross-linkscontributeconsiderablytothephysicochemicalandfunctionalpropertiesofprotein,weexaminedtheusefulnessofthecross-linkingenzymetransglutaminase(TGase)intermsofproteinpoly-merization,gelation,filmformation,andpeptideincorporationintoprotein.TGase-producingmicroorganismswerediscovered,andmassproductionandpreparationoftheenzymewasaccomplished.TGasehasbeenusedinthepro-ductionofvariousnewfooditemssuchasrestructuredmeatandseafood,newtexturedsausagesandfishcakes,retortresistantsoybeancurd,Iong-lifenoodles,volume-improvedbread,etc.WepresenthereanoverviewofdevelopmentsinmicrobialTGasetechnologytodate.Keywords:transglutaminase,cross-link,foodprotein,proteinmodificationTheconformationofproteinextractedfrombiologicaltissuelyzecross-linkingofseveralproteinsincludingmyosin.Wehaveinfoodprocessingisusuallyregulatedbyalteringdisulfidealsoinvestigatedthefeasibilityoffoodproteinmodificationforbonds,electrostaticinteraction,hydrophobicinteractionandhy-industrialutilizationusingtheguineapigliverenzyme(Motokidrogenbonds.However,withthesemethodsitisoftendifficultto&Nio,1983;Motokietal.,1984;Motokietal.,1986;Motokietrestructurethesecondaryand/ortertiarystructureofsuchpro-al.,1987a,b;Nioetal.,1985;Nioetal.,1986;Nio&Motoki,teinstoobtainthedesiredfoodtexture.Forinstance,itisnoteasy1986)withmilkcaseins,soybeanglobulinsoractomyosinfromtorealisticallyfabricatemeat-1ikeproductswithanelastictexturebeef,pork,chickenandfishassubstrateproteins.Allofthesefromconventionalmaterialssuchassoybeanproteins,wheatglu-substrateproteinsformedgelsonreactionwiththeenzymeintenoreggproteins.Theconnectivetissuesofmeatcontaincross-highlyconcentratedsolution,e.g.rabbitmyosinI.