Enzymes act as catalysts in living organisms which allow important chemical reactions to occur at lower temperatures. They are not altered in the process and can be used in many reactions. Most of the chemical reactions that occur in living organisms are regulated by enzymes and would happen much slower without them. For example, without the digestive enzyme carboxypepdidase, it would take seven years to digest a hamburger.

Ethyl carbamate is a compound found in fermented beverages that can cause cancer in various organisms. Its precursor is urea, an intermediate during fermentation by the arginase enzyme. The urea reacts with ethanol produced during fermentation to form ethyl carbamate. Storing wine at high temperatures increases the amount of ethyl carbamate.

Enzymes play an important role in preventing the formation of ethyl carbamate. By disrupting the gene that encodes the arginase enzyme, the mutant can cause wine that contains no urea, and therefore, no ethyl carbamate. The use of the enzyme urease to lower urea levels has been considered, but the pH levels of wine are too low for the enzyme to work. The Japanese later found urease in the bacteria Lactobacillus fermentum which did lower urea levels in wine.

An enzyme called chlamysin was found in scallops while researchers were looking for a use for scallop shells. This enzyme destroys dangerous bacteria associated with diseases in humans and fish. It may be important in several areas, such as medicine, fish farming, and food preserving.

The enzyme appears in very small quantities in scallops. The gene that causes the production of chlamysin has been isolated, however, so other organisms such as bacteria or yeast can be altered to produce it. This is necessary for testing and successful industrial production. If it were to be administered as medicine, chlamysin could not be used in food that is to be eaten because it is a protein and would be destroyed by the digestive system before it could kill bacteria. Instead, it would need to be applied to the skin. Unlike other enzymes in organisms that live in cold water, chlamysin is not inactivated by temperatures of organisms from warmer areas.