Biocatalytic potential of microorganisms have been employed for centuries to produce bread, wine, vinegar and other common products without understanding the biochemical basis of their ingredients. Microbial enzymes have gained interest for their widespread uses in industries and medicine owing to their stability, catalytic activity, and ease of production and optimization than plant and animal enzymes. The use of enzymes in various industries (e.g., food, agriculture, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals) is increasing rapidly due to reduced processing time, low energy input, cost effectiveness, nontoxic and eco-friendly characteristics. Microbial enzymes are capable of degrading toxic chemical compounds of industrial and domestic wastes (phenolic compounds, nitriles, amines etc.) either via degradation or conversion. Here in this review, we highlight and discuss current technical and scientific involvement of microorganisms in enzyme production and their present status in worldwide enzyme market.

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Microbial enzymes: industrial progress in 21st century

Industrial applications of enzyme biocatalysis: Current status and future aspects.

Many fungi degrade cellulose and hemicelluloses using extracellular hydrolytic enzymes, but fungi that degrade woody biomass are the only ones to efficiently degrade polysaccharides encased in lignin. White-rot basidiomycetes begin by mineralizing the lignin, using extracellular oxidative enzymes to cleave this recalcitrant biopolymer. Enzymes with likely roles include lignin peroxidases, manganese peroxidases, versatile peroxidases and laccases. In some cases the enzyme may attack the lignin polymer directly; in others the ligninolytic agent is likely a small molecule that one of the enzymes has oxidized to a reactive form. So far, all white rot fungi appear to secrete manganese peroxidases, and most produce laccases, whereas the other two enzymes are less common. After ligninolysis, white-rot fungi assimilate the remaining polysaccharides using conventional glycosylhydrolase systems that contain both endo- and exo-acting enzymes. Brown rot basidiomycetes also degrade lignocellulose efficiently, but their biodegradative systems are less comprehensive. These fungi generally lack ligninolytic enzymes, initiating decay instead with reactive oxygen species generated from the reaction between Fe2+ and H2O2. The limited disruption caused by these oxidants apparently allows a limited set of endo-acting glycosylhydrolases to depolymerize the remaining polysaccharides. Biological wood pulping is one promising application of ligninolytic fungi.

https://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/pdf2010/fpl_2010_hatakka001.pdf

Fungal Biodegradation of Lignocelluloses

A process for enhancing the accessibility and reactivity of hardwood kraft-based dissolving pulp for viscose rayon production by cellulase treatment.

Biopulping can be an alternative to the traditional methods of pulping. Biopulping use fungi that are known to be able to degrade wood as well as lignin constituent of wood. Amongst these white rot fungi are the most proficient biodegrader. The fungus is non sporulating and is a selective lignin degrader. It colonizes either on living or dead wood and decomposes all wood polymers including lignin and extractives making it to be extremely potential to be used in biopulping. The process of biopulping reduces the utilization of chemical in pulping industry and help in decreasing the environmental hazard caused by normal pulping. The present review deals with diverse aspects of biopulping and their ecological as well as economic significances.

C. Westin

Papers

Biomechanical pulping of softwood with enzymes and white-rot fungus Physisporinus rivulosus