3507 90 900 0 — Enzymes and prepared enzymes, n.e.s. (excl. rennet and concentrates thereof, lipoprotein lipase and Aspergillus alkaline protease)

3507 Enzymes; enzyme preparations not elsewhere specified or included: 3507 10 Rennine and its concentrates 3507 90 Other

Enzymes are organic substances produced by living cells, they initiate and regulate specific chemical reactions inside or outside living cells, while the chemical structure of the enzymes themselves does not undergo any change. Enzymes can be considered from the following positions: (I) According to their chemical structure, for example: (a) enzymes in which x molecule consists only of a protein (for example, pepsin, trypsin, urease); (b) enzymes in which the molecule consists of a protein associated with a low molecular weight non-protein compound acting as a cofactor. This cofactor may be either a metal (e.g., copper in ascorbate oxidase, zinc in human placental alkaline phosphatase), or a complex organic molecule called a coenzyme (e.g., thiamine diphosphate in

pyruvate decarboxylase, pyridoxalphosphate in glutamino acid aminotra ansferase. Sometimes there are both options. (II) According to their: (a) chemical activity like oxydoreductase, transferase, hydrolase, lyase, isomerase, ligase; or (b) biological activity like amylase, lipase, protease, etc. This heading covers: (A) “Pure” enzymes (enzyme isolates). These products are usually crystalline and are intended for use mainly in medicine or in scientific research. They are not as important in international trade as enzyme concentrates and enzyme preparations. (B) Enzyme concentrates. They are usually obtained by extracting water or solvents from the organs of animals, plants, microorganisms or isolated from culture broths of bacteria, molds, etc. These products containing multiple enzymes in different proportions can be standardized or stabilized. It should be noted that some standardizing or stabilizing agents may also be present in these concentrates in varying amounts, and their source is the fermentation fluid itself or purification or deposition processes. Concentrates can be obtained, for example, in the form of powder by precipitation or drying by freezing or in the form of granules using granulating agents or inert carriers. (C) Enzyme preparations not elsewhere specified or included. Enzyme preparations are prepared by subsequent dilution of the concentrates mentioned above in point (B), or by mixing enzyme isolates or enzyme concentrates. Preparations with added substances making them suitable for special purposes also fall under this heading, provided that they are not included in the more specific heading of the Nomenclature. This category of preparations includes, inter alia: (i) enzyme preparations for tendering meat consisting of a proteolytic enzyme (e.g., papain) with the addition of dextrose or other food products; (ii) enzyme preparations for lightening beer, wine or fruit juice in (e.g., pectin enzymes containing added gelatin, bentonite, etc.); (iii) enzyme preparations for framing textile materials based on bacterial amylase or proteases. This heading does not cover, inter alia, the following preparations: (a) medicinal products (heading 3003 or 3004); (b) enzyme preparations for pre-tanning (heading 3202); (c) enzyme preparations for soaking or washing and other products of Chapter 34. The following are the most important enzymes commercially available:

(1) Rennin (lab-ferment, chymosin, rennet). Rennin is obtained from fresh or dried stomachs of calves or by the culture of certain micro-organisms. It is a proteolytic enzyme which curdles milk by coagulating the casein it contains. It is available in liquid, powder or tablet form. It may contain salts (e.g., sodium chloride, calcium chloride, sodium sulphate) resulting from its manufacturing process or added for standardisation, as well as preservatives (e.g., glycerol). Rennin is used mainly in cheese-making. (2) Pancreatic enzymes. The most important of the enzymes produced by the pancreas are trypsin and chymotrypsin (which break down proteins), α-amylase (which breaks down starch) and lipase (which breaks down fats). They are used mainly in medicine and pharmacy for the treatment of digestive disorders. Pancreatic enzyme concentrates are generally obtained from fresh or dried pancreas glands. They may contain highly absorbent salts (added to absorb part of the water of crystallisation) and certain protective colloids (to facilitate transport or storage). They are used in the manufacture of preparations for desizing, washing, depilating or tanning. The pancreatic enzyme preparations covered by this heading include preparations used for desizing textile materials. (3) Pepsin. Pepsin is obtained from the mucous membranes of the stomachs of pigs or bovine animals. For stabilisation, it is sometimes preserved in a saturated solution of magnesium sulphate or mixed with sucrose or lactose (pepsin powder). Pepsin is used mainly for medical purposes, in combination with hydrochloric acid or betaine hydrochloride, or as pepsin wine. (4) Malt enzymes. This group covers only malt amylases. Malt extracts fall in heading 1901. (5) Papain, bromelain, ficin. The term "papain" is used to describe both the dried milky sap (latex) of the papaya tree (Carica papaya) and the two fractions obtained from that product, namely papain (in the narrower sense of the term) and chymopapain. Papain is used, for example, in the manufacture of chill-proof beer, meat tenderising preparations (see Part (C) (i) above) and in medicine. Papain in the form of dried latex, only partially soluble in water, falls in heading 1302. Bromelain is obtained from pineapple plants. Ficin is obtained from the latex of certain varieties of fig tree. (6) Amylases and proteases obtained from micro-organisms. Certain micro-organisms, when cultured in a suitable culture medium, secrete considerable quantities of amylases and proteases.

After removal of the cells and other impurities, the solutions are either concentrated by low-temperature evaporation under vacuum, or the enzymes are precipitated by the addition of inorganic salts (e.g., sodium sulphate) or of water-miscible organic solvents (e.g., acetone). Examples of microbial amylases and proteases are: (a) Bacterial α-amylases. Bacterial α-amylases (obtained, e.g., by using Bacillus subtilis) – enzymes hydrolysing starch to dextrins – are used in the manufacture of starch-based adhesives and paper coatings, in the confectionery industry and other branches of the food industry, and for desizing textile materials. (b) Fungal amylases. Fungal amylases are α-amylases obtained from cultures of moulds, mainly of the genus Rhizopus or of the genus Aspergillus. Although their liquefying dextrinase activity is quite noticeable, it is nevertheless considerably lower than that of bacterial amylases. Fungal amylases are widely used in the food industry. It should be noted that fungal amylases sometimes contain proteases, glucose oxidase and invertase. (c) Amyloglucosidases. These enzymes, obtained, for example, from fungi of the genus Rhizopus or of the genus Aspergillus, are powerful saccharifying agents but do not have the capacity for hydrolytic cleavage. They are used to obtain a high yield of dextrose from starchy materials. Their main uses are in the manufacture of glucose syrups and dextrose and as saccharifying agents for grain mash for alcoholic fermentation. (d) Proteases. Bacterial proteases (obtained, e.g., by using Bacillus subtilis) are proteolytic enzymes used in the manufacture of preparations for desizing textile materials, as ingredients in certain detergent preparations and in brewing. Proteases obtained from moulds are used for medical and pharmaceutical purposes. (7) β-Amylases. These enzymes are obtained from plant materials such as malted barley, wheat and soya beans. They are used in the manufacture of maltose from starch and dextrins. (8) Pectolytic enzymes. These enzymes are obtained by culturing various species of moulds, mainly of the genus Rhizopus or of the genus Aspergillus. They are used in the production and processing of fruit and vegetable juices (to facilitate pressing operations and to increase the yield of juice). (9) Invertase (β-fructofuranosidase). Invertase is generally obtained from bottom-fermenting brewer's yeast.

This enzyme breaks down sugar into glucose and khoza fru. Invertase is commonly used in the production of golden syrup, chocolate and marzipan. (10) Glucose isomerase. This enzyme is obtained by growing some microorganisms mainly of the genus Streptomyces or the genus Basillus. It is used to partially convert glucose into fructose in the production of high-sweet syrups. In addition to the other exceptions mentioned above, this heading does not include: (a) yeast (heading 2102); (b) coenzymes such as cocarboxylase (a neurinpyrophosphate) and cozymase (nicotinamide denindinucleotide) (Chapter 29); (c) dried glands and other products of heading 3001; (d) cultures of microorganisms, blood enzymes (e.g. thrombin), blood fractions and their truncated variants (parts) with enzymatic properties/activity and other heading 3002.

Notes

English text as published in Annex I to Regulation (EU) 2021/1832 (Combined Nomenclature). The EAEU tariff and the EU nomenclature copy these notes from the same convention. For a Russian declaration the binding version is the Russian one: Annex to Decision No 80 of the EEC Council of 14 September 2021.

1. This chapter does not cover:

(a) yeasts (heading 2102);

(b) blood fractions (other than blood albumin not prepared for therapeutic or prophylactic uses), medicaments or other products of Chapter 30;

(c) enzymatic preparations for pre-tanning (heading 3202);

(d) enzymatic soaking or washing preparations and other products of Chapter 34;

(e) hardened proteins (heading 3913); or

(f) gelatin products of the printing industry (Chapter 49).

2. For the purposes of heading 3505, the term ‘dextrins’ means starch degradation products with a reducing sugar content, expressed as dextrose on the dry substance, not exceeding 10 %. Such products with a reducing sugar content exceeding 10 % fall in heading 1702.

Additional note

Machine translation. The original is the Russian text of the EAEU tariff, and customs goes by it; this translation is for understanding only and has no legal force.

1. В подсубпозицию 3504 00 100 0 включаются концентрированные молочные белки с содержанием белка более 85 мас.% в пересчете на сухой продукт.