Critical Point of Haram of Enzymes

Assalamu’alaikum Sobat Halal-Mu

Sobat, have you often heard the word of enzyme?

What is an enzyme? Quoted from the Reference List of Halal Critical Point Ingredients and Non-Halal Substitutes by Prof. Dr. Irwandi Jaswir, MSc, Ir. Elvina A. Rahayu, MP, Dr. Nancy Dewi Yuliana, MSc and Dr. Anna Priangani Roswiem, MS. enzymes are a group of macro molecules consisting of proteins or RNA that are catalytic, which are able to accelerate chemical reactions. Enzymes are able to increase the reaction speed to 108 to 1013 times the normal speed.

Then where is the critical point of enzyme forbidden? Quoted from the Reference List of Halal Critical Points and Non-Halal Substitutes by Prof. Dr. Irwandi Jaswir, MSc, Ir. Elvina A. Rahayu, MP, Dr. Nancy Dewi Yuliana, MSc and Dr. Anna Priangani Roswiem, MS, there are critical points of enzyme halalness, as follows:

1. The critical point of enzyme halalness depends on the source of the enzyme and the additives added at the final stage of enzyme production. Enzymes can be isolated from other animal organs or body parts, such as the rennet enzyme in the cheese-making process where this enzyme converts milk into coagulated or clotted milk. This enzyme is obtained from the stomach of calves that are still suckling on their mothers. In the group of enzymes of animal origin, of course, the type of animal and the way it is slaughtered become the critical point of halalness.
2. Enzymes can be produced from the fermentation process of microorganisms. Therefore, the critical point lies in the composition of the media used at each stage of fermentation. Some enzymes are also derived from plants, such as papain (found in papaya fruit), but it is also necessary to pay attention to the additives used in the process of extracting the enzyme from the plant of origin. For all of these types of enzymes, in addition to the source of the enzyme, the additives used in the final stage after the pure enzyme is obtained also need to be considered because they may be the critical point of halalness.

Why is fermentation the tipping point?

Regarding the critical point of fermentation media, there are several fatwas issued by MUI that are important to be known by practitioners and also other communities, as follows:

1. Fatwa of the Indonesian Ulema Council No. 1 of 2010:
2. The source of media components used for microbial breeding, from culture refreshment and inoculum multiplication to fermentation media is a critical point of halalness.
3. The source of auxiliary materials, such as antifoam, spore harvesting materials, cell breakers, activated carbon, ion exchange resins are critical points of halalness.
4. Additives in the final product, such as coatings, fillers, pH adjusters, are critical points of halalness.
5. Microbial products where the final product is obtained without separation from the growth medium, the microbial growth medium must be halal material.
6. Microbial products where the final product is obtained by separation from the growth medium but in the next process there is no shari’i washing, the growth medium must be halal material.
7. Microbial products where the final product is obtained by separation from the growth medium and in the next stage there is a shar’i washing process, then the medium may come from unclean / haram materials other than pork (in other words, the use of materials derived from pork in fermentation media is not permitted even if the final product is separated from the medium and there is a shar’i washing stage in the next stage).
8. There are two ways of Shar’i cleaning of the product (1) Pouring/flowing water into the product. This can be done by passing the product under running water in the product purification stage, or by spraying water on the product in the drying drum before the drying stage. (2) Soaking the product in water with a volume above 270 liters, or by adding water to the product until the water reaches 270 liters.

• Fatwa of the Indonesian Ulema Council Number: 35 of 2013:
• Genetically modified products states that genetic engineering is permissible as long as the genetically modified animal is a halal animal and the genetic material used does not come from a forbidden one.

In addition, Indonesia also has the potential to produce enzymes.

Why is that?

Some enzymes can be isolated from plants, such as bromelin in pineapple and papain from papaya. Both of these enzyme source plants are very easy to grow in Indonesia.

Indonesia also has great potential in producing molasses, which in the production process uses enzymes. Sugarcane plants are the main ingredient in the production of granulated sugar, which is very easy to grow in Indonesia.

In addition, enzymes are also widely used in the food industry. Examples of enzymes that are often used in the food industry are mainly a group of carbohydrate-breaking enzymes, protein-breaking enzymes (protease), fat-breaking enzymes (lipase), pectin breakers (pectinase), and others such as Phytase.