Antarctic Yeasts as a Source of Enzymes for Biotechnological Applications

MARTORELL MM; RUBERTO L; CASTELLANOS DE FIGUEROA L; MAC CORMACK WP

Fungi of Antarctica. Diversity, Ecology and Biotechnological Applications

Springer International Publishing

Año: 2019; p. 285 - 304

Psychrophilic and psychrotrophic microorganisms present an enzymatic metabolism of outstanding characteristics arising from the extraordinary environmentalchallenges with which they must deal. This fact makes cold-adapted microorganisms a relevant target for scientific research and its possible use in several industrialprocesses. These enzymes present several advantages foruse in industrial applications. Among these advantages is their thermolability, whichmakes them useful when a selective thermal inactivation step is necessary. In addition, as they are synthesized at low temperatures, there is a potential reduction inenergy costs during their technological production and, additionally, their use inprocesses occurring at low temperatures greatly reduces the chances of contamination with mesophilic microorganisms. In the past 30 years, the interest in cold-adapted microorganisms, the main sourcefor cold-active enzymes, has grown considerably. Nevertheless, most of the worksreport the prospecting and characteristics of enzymes obtained from prokaryoticmicroorganisms, while enzymes frompsychrophilic or psychrotolerant eukaryotes are reported less Even though yeasts are able to grow using several carbon sources and some groupsare adapted to live in cold and extreme environments, the information on cold-activeenzymes produced by yeasts is quite scarce. As was suggestedby Margesin et al. (2003), fungi, and yeasts among them, are better adapted thanbacteria for living in cold environments.