The application of enzymes or whole cells (fermentatively active or
resting; microbial, plant, or animal) to carry out selective
transformations of commercial importance is the central theme of
industrial biocatalysis. Traditionally, biocatalysis has been in the
domain of the life scientist or biochemical engineer. However, recent
advances in this field have enabled biocatalytic processes to compete
head on with, and in some cases out- perform, conventional chemical
processing. Chemo-biocatalytic systems are being developed thereby
combining the most attractive features of bio- catalysts, namely high
specificity, with those of chemical catalysts, such as high reactivities
and wide substrate specificities. Hence, synthetic chemists and chemical
engineers are now beginning to use biocatalysts as highly selective
reagents in chemical synthesis and processing. This book is about
biocatalysts and their past, present, and potential applications in the
food, pharmaceutical, and chemical industries. The con- cept of the book
did not emanate from a meeting. Rather, it is a compila- tion of
selected examples where biocatalysis either has already made a
significant impact in the aforementioned industries, or has the
potential to make a substantial contribution. I have been fortunate to
have assembled contributions from world-class researchers in the field
of biocatalysis. Their timely contributions are sincerely appreciated.
