Abstract:
Biotechnology offers potential for new industrial processes that are less energy consuming and are based on renewable and environmentally friendly raw materials. Recent explorations due to innovations in techniques have delivered an insight into the vast prospects of microbial communities as bioreactors. Among these bioreactors, hydrolases have received global attention from several researchers as probable biocatalysts in diverse industrial developments. This chapter presents a brief review of applications of hydrolases as industrial enzymes of high demand in various sectors such as the food, feed, textile, leather, detergent, pharmaceutical & cosmeceutical, biopolymer, biorefinery, waste treatment, paper & pulp, as well as in organic and nanoparticle synthesis. Emphasis is laid on the potential of these enzymes from marine sources and to encourage new marine hydrolase-based industrial technology.
