Biocatalyzed Production of Fine Chemicals

Fine chemicals are pure molecules useful as synthesis intermediates or as final products. REACH normative and the new environmental protection laws in the United States, Japan, and European Union support the change of conventional synthesis procedures into some other more innovative, more environmentally safe, and nontoxic for human health procedures, by using green solvents, raw materials from renewable sources, etc. In addition, the application of more and more efficient catalysts is one of the main challenges in the industry. Biocatalysts are the most efficient catalysts and so, biocatalyzed synthesis of fine chemicals is opening a new innovative future for the chemical–biological industries. As a consequence, the chemical market is one of the most interesting fields in the future for biocatalysis and white biotechnology. In this article, we describe the fundaments of the biocatalyzed reactions and the types of enzymes used, and discuss the application of genetically modified microorganisms, wild-type whole cells, or isolated enzymes (native or immobilized). We show different examples of the preparation of fine chemicals using biocatalysts and the importance of these processes in the food, feed, and pharmaceutical industries.