1. Food Industry
• Milk and Dairy Processing: Used to decompose residual H₂O₂ after H₂O₂ disinfection in milk pasteurization or cheese production, preventing oxidative damage to vitamins, flavor, and texture, while avoiding interference with subsequent fermentation processes.
• Egg Product Processing: In the production of liquid egg products (such as whole egg liquid and egg white liquid), after surface sterilization with H₂O₂, catalase is added to remove residuals, ensuring product safety and quality.
• Food Packaging Disinfection: Used in aseptic packaging systems (such as Tetra Pak), where catalase is used to thoroughly remove residual H₂O₂ after the packaging material has been sterilized with H₂O₂, ensuring that the food is free from chemical contamination.
• Wine and Beverage Stabilization: Removes H₂O₂ that may be produced during the brewing process or remain as a disinfectant residue, preventing oxidative deterioration of color and flavor.
2. Textile Industry
• Post-Bleaching Treatment of Textiles: After bleaching cotton, linen, and other fabrics with H₂O₂, catalase can quickly and thoroughly remove residual H₂O₂ from the fabric surface. Compared to traditional washing, it significantly saves water, energy, and time, and provides an ideal neutral environment for subsequent dyeing processes, improving dyeing quality.
3. Clinical Diagnosis and Medical Research
• Blood Glucose Test Strips: In early glucose oxidase-based blood glucose test strips, catalase was added as a “scavenger” to decompose endogenous H₂O₂ produced by the reaction, reducing background interference and improving detection accuracy (modern technology has gradually optimized this).
• Cell and Molecular Biology Research: Used in cell culture to relieve oxidative stress on cells caused by H₂O₂; also used in various biochemical experimental systems to specifically eliminate H₂O₂ to study its physiological/pathological effects.
4. Cosmetics and Personal Care Products
• Hair Bleaching and Dyeing Care: Added to hair dyes or bleaches to decompose residual H₂O₂ on the scalp or hair after dyeing, reducing damage to hair keratin and irritation to the scalp. • Skincare Products: As an antioxidant ingredient, it directly decomposes H₂O₂ produced by pollutants, UV radiation, or microorganisms on the skin surface or in hair follicles, helping to reduce oxidative stress. It is commonly used in acne treatment, soothing, and anti-aging products.
5. Contact Lens Care
• Hydrogen Peroxide Care System: Some contact lens disinfectants use 3% H₂O₂ for powerful disinfection. The accompanying “neutralizing cup” or “neutralizing tablet” contains catalase (or a platinum ring), which completely decomposes H₂O₂ into harmless water and oxygen within a specified time (usually around 6 hours), making the lenses safe to wear.
6. Industrial and Environmental Biotechnology
• Biosensors: As a recognition element, it is used to construct biosensors for detecting H₂O₂ or related substrates (such as glucose, uric acid).
• Wastewater Treatment: It is used to treat industrial wastewater containing H₂O₂, or in bioremediation processes, it works synergistically with other enzymes to decompose toxic peroxides and reduce environmental toxicity.
• Paper Recycling Deinking: In environmentally friendly enzymatic deinking processes, it is used in combination with cellulase, lipase, etc., to decompose peroxides in waste paper, facilitating fiber separation and ink removal.
7. Scientific Research and Reagents
• As a Standard Enzyme and Tool Enzyme: In biochemistry and enzymology research, due to its high catalytic efficiency and strong specificity, it is often used as a model enzyme for basic research in kinetics, thermodynamics, etc.
• Biochemical Reagent: Widely used in various experimental reagent kits to eliminate H₂O₂ produced in the reaction system, or to detect catalase activity in samples (as an indicator of health or oxidative stress).