Commercial application of rumen microbial enzymes

Abstract

The enzyme as a biocatalyst is an important tool in various industries where these enzymes have been used in the development of various products and services in the eco-friendly manner. The use of enzymes commercially not only reduces the cost but also lowers the environmental concerns particularly related to the water and energy consumption. Their applications also improve the quality of the bioproducts. Therefore, today, the enzymes provide a sustainable alternative to the conventional chemical processes. While searching of new enzymes and new enzyme sources, various researchers find rumen as an attractive source of various enzymes. The rumen is the first chamber of the digestive system of the ruminants capable in the bioconversion of various lignocellulosic plant material into easily metabolizable compounds by virtue of the presence of various microbial populations: Bacteria, fungi, and protozoa. The functioning of rumen is quite similar to various biorefineries which aim at the bioconversion of lignocellulosic material into various useful bioproducts such as fuels and chemicals. The current chapter will discuss about the various industrial/commercial applications of rumen enzymes along with their desired properties.