Bulk Protease Enzyme Supplier

Acid, neutral and alkaline protease for brewing, food processing, leather, and feed. Up to 400,000 U/g powder and 150,000 U/mL liquid. Ships to 180+ countries from 1 kg.
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How Protease Works

Proteases are peptide-bond hydrolases (EC 3.4) that cleave peptide bonds in proteins, breaking them into shorter peptides and amino acids. Different pH optima allow precise selection for each application.

Cleaves Peptide Bonds

Endoproteases cleave internal peptide bonds, rapidly reducing protein molecular weight. Exoproteases release individual amino acids from chain ends. Together, they achieve complete protein hydrolysis.

pH-Specific Activity

Acid protease (pH 2.5–4.5) works in stomach-like conditions, ideal for brewing and food digestion. Neutral (pH 6–8) and alkaline (pH 8–11) proteases suit food processing, detergent, and leather applications.

Improves Bioavailability

Protein hydrolysis produces peptides and free amino acids that are more rapidly absorbed than intact proteins. Feed-grade protease improves amino acid bioavailability and reduces nitrogen excretion.

Protease Applications by Industry

Protease is used in any process where controlled protein breakdown improves product quality, yield, or processing efficiency.
Brewing & Beverages

Reduces chill haze in beer by hydrolyzing haze-forming proteins. Improves wort filtration speed and increases extract yield. Also used in wine and juice processing for clarification.

Food Processing

Produces protein hydrolysates for flavor enhancers, savory extracts, and functional ingredients. Alkaline protease is used in soy, dairy, and plant protein processing.

Animal Feed

Improves digestibility of plant proteins and reduces anti-nutritional effects in soy- and cereal-based feeds. Increases amino acid availability in poultry, swine, and aquaculture diets.

Leather & Textiles

Alkaline protease replaces sodium sulfide in leather bating and dehairing, reducing effluent toxicity. Also used for wool anti-felting and silk degumming.

Detergent & Cleaning

Alkaline protease is a key component of biological laundry detergents for protein stain removal (blood, grass, egg, milk) at 30–60°C wash temperatures.

Protease Applications: Process Details, Application Rate & Parameters

Brewing & Beverage Processing

Brewing | FAN Production & Haze Prevention

Function: Neutral protease generates free amino nitrogen (FAN) during mashing by hydrolyzing malt proteins, providing essential nitrogen for yeast nutrition. Alkaline protease is used in chill-proofing (haze-active protein removal). Both improve fermentation performance and product clarity in high-adjunct and low-malt brewing.

Typical application rate: 0.01–0.1% w/w; add during mashing at 50–55°C (protein rest); target FAN ≥150 mg/L in wort

Applications: High-adjunct lager, protein-enriched wort, haze-free beer conditioning, wheat beer nitrogen management.

Related guide: Brewing Enzymes — full guide to FAN production and chill-proofing →

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Food Processing & Protein Modification

Food Manufacturing | Hydrolysis & Texturizing

Function: Proteases modify functional properties of food proteins: hydrolysis improves solubility, foaming, emulsification, and flavor development. Controlled hydrolysis (DH 5–20%) produces functional protein hydrolysates for soups, sauces, and flavorings. Alkaline protease at high DH produces extensively hydrolyzed proteins for hypoallergenic infant nutrition.

Typical application rate: 0.05–0.5% w/w; pH and temperature vary by enzyme class (acid/neutral/alkaline); DH monitoring recommended

Applications: Savory flavor production, soy sauce fermentation acceleration, meat protein extraction, plant-based protein processing.

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Animal Feed

Feed Manufacturing | Digestibility & Anti-Nutrition Reduction

Function: Exogenous protease in compound feed degrades anti-nutritional proteins (lectins, trypsin inhibitors, storage proteins) in soy, canola, and legume meals, and improves protein digestibility in monogastric animals. Alkaline serine protease (subtilisin type) is the most effective for feed applications at intestinal pH.

Typical application rate: 100–1,000 U/g feed; pelleting-stable formulations required; combine with phytase and amylase for maximum FCR improvement

Applications: Broiler and layer feeds, swine diets (especially soy-heavy), aquafeed, pet food protein digestibility.

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Leather & Textile Processing

Industrial | Dehairing & Fiber Processing

Function: Alkaline protease (subtilisin-type, pH 8–10) removes hair from hides in the leather bating and soaking process, replacing or food manufacturinging sodium sulfide. This enzymatic dehairing reduces sulfide effluent load by 40–70% and produces a cleaner grain surface. In textiles, protease degrades surface fiber fuzz on wool and silk.

Typical application rate: 0.1–0.5% w/w; pH 8–10; 30–40°C; 2–12 hours depending on hide thickness and process

Applications: Leather soaking, dehairing, and bating; wool anti-shrink finishing; silk degumming; wool fiber softening.

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Detergent & Cleaning Applications

Detergent Formulation | Protein Stain Removal

Function: Alkaline serine protease (subtilisin, BLAP, Savinase-type) is the primary enzyme in laundry detergents. It degrades protein-based stains (blood, grass, egg, dairy, sweat) by cleaving peptide bonds. Cold-active variants perform at 15–30°C, reducing energy consumption. Protease must be compatible with surfactants, oxidants, and other detergent enzymes.

Typical application rate: 0.01–0.5% v/v in liquid detergent; 0.1–1.5% w/w in powder detergent; formulation pH 8–11

Applications: Laundry detergents, automatic dishwashing, industrial cleaning, medical device cleaning, hard surface cleaners.

Related guide: Detergent Enzymes — protease, lipase & amylase for laundry formulation →

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Protease Products Available Now

Browse our protease range — acid, neutral, and alkaline grades in powder and liquid, up to 400,000 U/g. All products ship with certificate of analysis and technical data sheet.

Why Source Protease from enzymes.bio?

Low MOQ from 1 kg

Flexible order quantities from R&D samples to full production runs. Scale up when ready.

Custom Preparations

Our technical team formulates custom enzyme preparations to match your exact specification.

Global Shipping

DHL, FedEx, and USPS fulfillment to 180+ countries with full tracking. Cold-chain shipping available.

Technical Support

Application guidance from our enzyme specialists on application rate, stability, and formulation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Acid protease (pH 2–5): used in food/beverage processing, brewing, and cheese ripening. Neutral protease (pH 6–8): bread dough conditioning, FAN production in brewing, general food protein hydrolysis. Alkaline protease (pH 8–11): detergents, leather processing, feed digestibility, industrial cleaning. Select by your process pH.
Protease activity is measured in multiple units: APU (Alkaline Protease Units), U/g (units/gram using casein assay), NPU (Neutral Protease Units), or HUT (Hemoglobin Unit on Tyrosine basis) for dietary food manufacturing. Our product pages specify the assay and activity for each grade.
Minimum order is 1 kg for sample testing. Commercial quantities in 25 kg drums and IBC bulk. We stock multiple protease classes (acid, neutral, alkaline, serine, cysteine, metalloprotease) and ship within 3–7 business days.
Our food-grade proteases meet FCC specifications and are produced by GRAS-recognized organisms (Bacillus subtilis, B. licheniformis, Aspergillus, Rhizopus). Full documentation: CoA, TDS, GRAS reference, Allergen Statement, and Non-GMO Declaration available for each product.
Yes — protease is highly effective for modifying plant proteins (soy, pea, rice, wheat gluten). Hydrolysis at DH 5–15% improves solubility and emulsification; DH 20–40% produces functional hydrolysates for beverages and seasonings. Alkaline protease works well on pea and soy; neutral protease on wheat gluten.
For FAN production during mashing: neutral protease at 0.01–0.05% w/w produces an additional 20–50 mg/L FAN in 30 minutes at 50°C. Target minimum wort FAN: 150 mg/L for ale yeast; 130 mg/L for lager yeast. For high-adjunct (>30%) brewing, higher protease application rate compensates for low malt protein contribution.
Yes — alkaline protease (subtilisin type, pH 8–10) is widely used for enzymatic dehairing in tanneries. It reduces or replaces sodium sulfide (lime-sulfide process), cutting sulfide effluent by 40–70%. We supply specific leather-grade alkaline protease formulations and technical process protocols.
Protease must be compatible with anionic and nonionic surfactants, builders (phosphate, STPP), bleach activators (TAED), and co-enzymes (lipase, amylase, cellulase). Most commercial detergent proteases are engineered for oxidant stability. For formulation advice and enzyme cocktail compatibility, contact our technical team.
Bitterness in hydrolysates is caused by hydrophobic peptides produced during proteolysis. Exopeptidases (aminopeptidase, carboxypeptidase) and specific endoproteases can cleave these bitter peptides. Plastein reaction (enzyme-catalyzed peptide reassembly) is another option. We stock debittering protease blends — contact us for recommendations based on your substrate and DH target.
Acid protease: 40–55°C optimum. Neutral protease: 40–55°C optimum. Alkaline protease: 50–60°C optimum for industrial; 15–40°C for cold-wash detergent grades. Thermostable proteases for brewing operate to 70°C. Always confirm temperature range for the specific grade — activity profiles vary significantly by enzyme origin.

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