Applications

A wide variety of chemical based processes are in use today in the industry and a majority of them have drawback from economic and environmental standpoints. The industry is abound with:

• Non-specific reactions that result in poor product yields.
  
• High temperatures and/or high pressures needed to drive reactions that result in high energy costs and require large volumes of cooling water downstream
  
• Harsh and hazardous processes involving high temperatures, pressures, acidity or alkalinity needing high capital investment and specially designed equipment and control systems
  
• Unwanted by-products that prove to be difficult or costly to dispose of
  
• High chemical and energy consumption as well as harmful by-products that have a negative impact on the environment

Similarly, drugs used today in healthcare have inherent side-effects.
Conventional therapies and drugs such as Antibiotics, Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs: COX-1 and COX-2 inhibitors), CNS Acting Drugs, Hormones, etc which are the most widely prescribed in the treatment of various ailments have several known and documented side effects.

All of these drawbacks can be virtually eliminated by using enzymes.

In Industries enzyme reactions are carried out under mild conditions, they are highly specific, involve very fast reaction rates, and are carried out by numerous enzymes with different roles. In addition, as only small amounts of enzymes are required to carry out chemical reactions even on an industrial scale, both solid and liquid enzyme preparations take up very little storage space. Mild operating conditions enable uncomplicated and widely available equipment to be used, and enzyme reactions are easily controlled and can be stopped when the desired degree of substrate conversion has been achieved. Enzymes also reduce the impact of manufacturing on the environment by reducing the consumption of chemicals and energy, and the subsequent generation of waste.

In healthcare, enzymes play the role of biological catalysts. They are ubiquitously found in nature and are responsible for the myriad reactions taking place in living organisms. Not only do they orchestrate the break down of complex molecules into simple molecules useful to the living organism, but they also regulate and control each and every process that keeps the organism functioning harmoniously. Enzyme action is highly specific and is well known and well characterized. Each enzyme has its own specific role and activity and has typical biochemical properties. Healthy tissues and cells have natural mechanisms protecting them from enzyme action. The organism consists of checks and balances in the form of inhibitors, which enable enzymes to function properly without deactivation.

Industrial and Healthcare enzymes primarily originate from biological systems; they contribute to sustainable development through being isolated from microorganisms which are fermented using primarily renewable resources.

Developments in genetic and protein engineering have led to improvements in the stability, economy, specificity and overall application potential of industrial enzymes. When all the benefits of using enzymes are taken into consideration, it's not surprising that the number of commercial applications for enzymes is increasing every year.