An enzyme naturally occurring in saliva, tears, nasal and intestinal mucous membranes as well as in blood plasma (also muramidase or mucopeptide glucohydrolase), which acts against certain bacteria or microorganisms by degrading their cell wall and thus destroying them. In the human body, it is important for the defence against bacterial infections. Lysozyme is also artificially extracted from chicken egg white and used in winemaking, such as in the mash fermentation of red wines. This prevents the proliferation of certain undesirable bacteria. However, the activity of the yeasts (which are immune to lysozyme) is not affected. This means that malolactic fermentation can be avoided at all or specifically interrupted at a very specific point in time in order to achieve a desired acidity of the wine.
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