Biotransformation: Basics and Applied Perspectives

Biotransformation is integral part of a living system. The system is built upon materials which are absorbed and transformed into the organic and inorganic building blocks and the unwanted or/and toxic materials are transformed and eliminated out of the system. These biotransformations are a part of multistep process containing specific enzymes and reactions catalyzed by them. Further these reactions and transformations are governed by biological factors, physiochemical properties, etc. of the system and materials which are taken in. Therefore, biotransformations can be used as technical strategy for pollution abatement, production of pharmaceutics, compounds especially for chemical and agricultural industry, etc. The current chapter delineates different phases of biotransformation process, the enzymes and their applications in industry and briefly sums up the current status of available research.