Microbial Production of Enzymes

Enzymes play a crucial role in various industrial applications, including food and beverage processing, pharmaceutical production, biofuel synthesis, and waste management. Microbial production of enzymes offers numerous advantages, including cost-effectiveness, scalability, and the potential for producing enzymes with specific properties. Using microorganisms, such as bacteria or fungi, to produce enzymes through fermentation or biotechnological methods, provides a sustainable and environmentally friendly alternative to traditional methods of enzyme production.

Figure 1 Graphical abstract of enzyme production

Strain Selection

Select a suitable microorganism strain capable of producing the desired enzyme. This can be achieved through screening naturally occurring microorganisms or genetically engineering specific strains. Advancements in genetic engineering and synthetic biology have allowed us to modify microorganisms to enhance enzyme production. Through genetic manipulation, we can introduce or optimize genes responsible for enzyme synthesis, resulting in higher yields and improved enzyme properties.

Culture Preparation

The selected microorganism is grown in a nutrient-rich medium, providing optimal conditions for growth and enzyme production. The medium composition varies depending on the microorganism and enzyme being produced.

Fermentation

The cultured microorganisms are transferred to a bioreactor or fermentation vessel, where the conditions are carefully controlled to promote enzyme production. Factors like temperature, pH, oxygen levels, and agitation are optimized for each specific enzyme.

• Submerged Fermentation (SmF)

SmF is a traditional method for enzyme production from microorganisms which has been used for a longer period of time. In SmF, free-flowing liquid substrates like molasses and broths are used. The end products of the fermentation are liberated into the fermentation broth. Substrate utilization is very rapid in SmF. Substrate must be provided continuously for this fermentation process. This technique is well suited for the extraction of secondary metabolites from bacteria because it requires high moisture content for their growth. SmF has several advantages in which genetically modified organisms are grown well compared to SSF and media sterilization, purification, and recovery of the end products. Further, the control of process parameters such as pH, temperature, moisture, oxygen transfer, and aeration can be done easily.

• Solid State Fermentation

Solid-state fermentation (SSF) is suitable for the less moisture content required microorganisms. In SSF, nutrient-rich waste materials such as bran, bagasse, and paper pulp can be used as substrate for the microorganisms and they are consumed very slowly and constantly. Hence, there is no need to supply the substrate for longer time. Major advantages of SSF are easy to handle, recovery of higher concentration of products, and generation of lesser effluent. Therefore, SSF is considered as a promising method for commercial enzyme production.

Fermentation Plants

Custom options for Microbial Enzymes

Induction or Enzyme Synthesis

In some cases, the production of enzymes is induced by subjecting the microorganisms to specific conditions. For example, certain enzymes are produced in response to the presence of particular substrates or by altering environmental factors.

Harvesting and Separation

Once the fermentation process is complete, the microbial biomass is separated from the culture broth. This can be achieved through techniques such as filtration, centrifugation, or precipitation.

Enzyme Recovery and Purification

The harvested biomass is processed to extract the enzyme of interest. Various techniques, including filtration, chromatography, and precipitation, are used to purify the enzyme and remove impurities.

Enzyme Stabilization

Enzymes are often stabilized through techniques such as freeze-drying, spray drying, or formulation with additives to enhance their stability and shelf life.

Enzyme Characterization and Quality Control

The produced enzyme is subjected to rigorous characterization and quality control tests to ensure its activity, specificity, purity, and safety. These tests may include biochemical assays, protein analysis, and evaluation of enzymatic performance under specific conditions.

At Creative Biogene, we have proprietary microbial fermentation technology which facilitates us to provide customers enzymes production services at different scales. The well described and controlled fermentation is essential to providing the highest quality in production.

Enzyme Product Types

• Whole Cell Catalysts
• Stabilized Ultrafiltrates
• Immobilized Enzymes

Product Formats

• Liquid formulations
• Lyophilized products

We develop cGMP or non-cGMP enzymes production for research, industrial and commercial uses. Our cGMP operation procedure and facilities for enzymes production are compliant with the current standards in food and drug manufacturing practice.

If you are interested in our services, please contact us for more details.

Reference

1. Yimer D, Tilahun A. Microbial biotechnology review in microbial enzyme production methods, assay techniques and protein separation and rifications. J Nutr Health Food Eng. 2018;8(1):1-7.