Handbook of Industrial Biocatalysis

Handbook of Industrial Biocatalysis

Until now, no comprehensive handbook on industrial biocatalysis has been available. Soliciting chapters on virtually every aspect of biocatalysis from international experts most actively researching the field, the Handbook of Industrial Biocatalysis fills this need. The handbook is divided into three sections based on types of substrates. The first section describes the newest biotechnology and bioprocesses for producing industrial products from hydrophobic substrates such as oils and fats. The discussion of biocatalysis covers single and multiple catalytic reactions involved in the creation of products as well as molecular manipulation of enzymes and product recovery. The products include healthy food, nutritional supplements, nutraceuticals, specialty chemicals, surfactants, biopolymers, and antimicrobial agents. The second section covers the production of value-added products from carbohydrate substrates. The scope of this section includes ethanol production, oligosaccharides and glycosides, utilization of hemicelluloses, and carbohydrate-active enzymes. The third section is dedicated to other potential industrial applications such as bioelectrocatalysis for synthesizing chemicals, fuels, and new drugs. The authors explore novel nutrition delivery systems, green chemistry, and the industrial applications of extremophiles. The organizer of several annual worldwide symposia on biocatalysis, editor Ching T. Hou has compiled a cornerstone reference for scientists in academic, industrial, and government research institutes, as well as for graduate-level students involved in biosciences, chemical engineering, biotechnology, microbiology, oil and colloid chemistry, and food chemistry. "This attractively produced handbook gets down to detail. It is written for teachers and specialists by active researchers, 90% from the US and the Far East, mostly from academic and government research labs, rather than production facilities." -Tony Kirby, Chemistry & Industry, August 2006 "The text is well written and could be easily digested by readers of postgraduate level and beyond…contains a number of extremely interesting chapters in areas that are sometimes overlooked in other texts. …This book would make a good addition to research libraries and especially as a personal copy in research groups whose work focuses in biocatalysis, specifically of lipids." -Andrew D. Brabban, Microbiology Today "…an excellent overview of market-directed biocatalysis…the breadth of examples employing industrially useful biocatalyses makes this an exciting volume that illustrates the tools and techniques associated with the production of value-added merchandise…highly recommended for any student or professional interested in development and production of applied biocatalytic materials." -John Williamson, SIM News, Vol. 56, No. 2, 2006 "…the book covers an area that has not been covered earlier and those interested in industrial biocatalysis - and in green chemistry - will learn a lot from many of the chapters…for those scientists working in the oils and fats industries, or in cosmetics, food and related areas, this compilation of 29 chapters will be an invaluable source of information, particularly from Japanese literature sources." - Organic Process Research and Development, Vol. 11, No. 3, 2007 Ching T. Hou