Asparaginase is a kind of enzyme that can be used as a medication and in food industry. It is mainly extracted from E. coli. In the medical field, it can be used for the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia, acute myeloid leukemia, and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. This is due to that asparaginase can convert the L-asparagine into aspartate and ammonia, exhausting the available asparagine needed for leukemic cells and thus leading to cell death. In the food industry, it can be used as a processing aid in the manufacture of food to reduce the formation of acrylamide, which is a potential carcinogen through removing the asparagine which can undergo Maillard reaction during cooking to induce tumor in fried and baked food.
