Modulation of Enzymatic Activity by Moderate Electric Fields: Perspectives for Prebiotic Epilactose Production via Cellobiose-2-Epimerase

Modulating enzymatic activity through physical strategies is increasingly recognized as a powerful approach to optimizing biocatalytic processes in food and biotechnology applications. Cellobiose 2-epimerase (C2E), a key enzyme for synthesizing epilactose, a non-digestible disaccharide with established prebiotic effects, is gaining relevance in functional foods. Emerging strategies, such as the application of moderate electric fields (MEFs), have attracted attention due to their non-thermal, non-invasive nature and their capacity to influence the structural and functional properties of proteins. This review assesses the potential of MEFs to modulate C2E activity and provides an overview of the physicochemical principles governing MEF–protein interactions and summarizes findings from various enzymatic systems, highlighting changes in activity, stability, and substrate affinity under electric field conditions. Particular attention is given to the mechanistic plausibility and processing implications of applying MEFs to C2E-catalyzed reactions. The integration of biochemical, structural, and engineering perspectives suggests that MEF-assisted modulation could overcome current bottlenecks in epilactose production. This approach may enable the sustainable valorization of lactose-rich byproducts and support the development of non-thermal, clean-label technologies for producing functional ingredients.