Present and Future Trends in Enzyme Technology and its Application

Abstract

To the casual observer, the bulk enzyme industry does not appear to be a particularly significant factor in the U.S. and world economy. Since its initial flourishings in the early part of this century it has not been subject to the spectacular growth which has projected other science-based industries, such as electronics and petrochemicals, into their present roles of major economic importance. The reasons for this relatively mediocre performance are complex, but several can be suggested here. Among these is the fact that for practically its entire history the industry has suffered from a lack of basic scientific understanding of its complex biological products and production processes. Only over the last decade or so have significant amounts of this knowledge become available, thus providing the opportunity for a rational rather than an empirical development of enzyme production and applications.