Microbial alkaline phosphatases in bioprocessing

A B S T R A C T Microbial alkaline phosphatases are produced on large scale in an economical way within limited space and in short time. Alkaline phosphatases are crucial in phosphate metabolism. The enzyme with its wide specificity and activity is potential in bioprocessing. An emphasis is placed on the diverse applications of microbial alkaline phosphatases. Alkaline phosphatase is the most commonly used enzyme in immunoassays. Most of the microbial alkaline phosphatases of significant application in diagnostic studies are obtained from bacteria. Alkaline phosphatase based biosensors play an essential role in environmental monitoring. Microbial alkaline phosphatases have a major application as biofertilizer. They are also useful for the evaluation of the soil quality and the perturbation occurring in agricultural fields. The assessment of alkaline phosphatase activity is used as a marker for milk pasteurization in dairy industries. Alkaline phosphatase is an important biochemical tool in limnological studies. K e y w o r d s Alkaline phosphatases, Microbial, Applications, Bioprocessing