Abstract
The development of enzymes for industrial applications relies heavily on the use of microorganisms. The intrinsic properties of microbial enzymes, e.g., consistency, reproducibility, and high yields along with many others, have pushed their introduction into a wide range of products and industrial processes. Extremophilic microorganisms represent an underutilized and innovative source of novel enzymes. These microorganisms have developed unique mechanisms and molecular means to cope with extreme temperatures, acidic and basic pH, high salinity, high radiation, low water activity, and high metal concentrations among other environmental conditions. Extremophile-derived enzymes, or extremozymes, are able to catalyze chemical reactions under harsh conditions, like those found in industrial processes, which were previously not thought to be conducive for enzymatic activity. Due to their optimal activity and stability under extreme conditions, extremozymes offer new catalytic alternatives for current industrial applications. These extremozymes also represent the cornerstone for the development of environmentally friendly, efficient, and sustainable industrial technologies. Many advances in industrial biocatalysis have been achieved in recent years; however, the potential of biocatalysis through the use of extremozymes is far from being fully realized. In this article, the adaptations and significance of psychrophilic, thermophilic, and hyperthermophilic enzymes, and their applications in selected industrial markets will be reviewed. Also, the current challenges in the development and mass production of extremozymes as well as future prospects and trends for their biotechnological application will be discussed.
Highlights
Specialty section: This article was submitted to Process and Industrial Biotechnology, a section of the journal Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology
The present review focuses on the diverse adaptations and characteristics of psychrophilic, thermophilic, and hyperthermophilic enzymes and some of their current applications in select industrial and research areas
Working with extremophiles and/or extremozymes requires the adaptation and creation of new methodologies, assays, and techniques that operate under non-standard conditions
Summary
They are proteins which accelerate the rate and specificity of chemical reactions by reducing the required activation energy. Enzymes have been used as biotechnological tools since ancient times for the production of food and alcoholic beverages, but only recently have significant knowledge and understanding of enzymes been cultivated. Ideas about enzymes and bio-catalytic processes started to take form during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries; the first major breakthroughs were not achieved until the nineteenth century. In 1833, the first enzyme was discovered, diastase (Payen and Persoz, 1833), known as amylase. The term enzyme was not adopted until 44 years later in 1877 by the German scientist Kühne (1877)
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