Biocatalysis is the use of biological catalysts—enzymes in isolated form or catalytic systems within intact cells—to convert chemical substrates into products. The three-dimensional architecture of the catalyst organizes substrate recognition and the chemical steps of bond making and breaking, giving rise to chemo-, regio-, and stereoselectivity that are characteristic of biological catalysis [1]. The catalyst may operate in a soluble state or be confined within a solid support or matrix through adsorption, encapsulation, or cross-linking, which determines its spatial distribution, substrate accessibility, and recoverability within the reaction system [2]. Biocatalytic conversions can proceed in water or in organic-containing media, provided the catalyst retains sufficient activity and stability under those conditions [3]. The accessible reaction type follows from the catalytic machinery of the biocatalyst, so that different enzyme classes support distinct bond-forming or bond-cleaving transformations through their active-site chemistry [4]. Multiple biocatalytic steps can be connected, together with auxiliary reactions such as cofactor regeneration, into an overall biochemical transformation [5].
Enzyme Production and Characterization·Biotechnology·Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology·Life Sciences