Novel Approaches for Greener Synthesis of Extremozymes Using Agro/Food Waste

Enzymes having a wide range of stability toward various factors and originating from extremophilic microorganisms are considered extremozymes. Owing to their robustness in withstanding the harsh conditions of industrial processes usually destructive for the proteinaceous nature of enzymes are attracting worldwide attention. The enzymes extracted from the extremophilic microorganisms are superior over mesophilic counterparts for their applicability in harsh industrial or environmental conditions as extremophiles are a rich source of naturally tailored enzymes. The stability of such biocatalysts toward temperature, pH, salinity, pressure, solvent, etc., is extremely valuable for several processes in which rigidly decomposable materials need to be degraded. Polyextremozymes have applicability in detergents, leather, pulp/ paper, and pharmaceutical/nutraceutical industries. To meet the global demand for these extremozymes while taking care of the environment, researchers are seeking for an alternative to the costly substrates by replacing them with low-cost natural ones where agro-industrial and food wastes can be very well utilized. Most of the food and agro-wastes are lignocellulosic and are made up of long-chain carbohydrates, proteins, and minerals that can be used as the substrate for the production of several value-added products like industrial enzymes, biopolymers, biofuels, cyclodextrin, biosensors, etc. This chapter focuses on the production of extremozymes using a novel approach for the greener synthesis of biocatalysts by waste management of agriculture and food, which contributes to lower environmental risks and further makes the process economically feasible, thereby providing a ‘win-win situation’.