ABSTRACT
Seaweeds represent a diverse group of photosynthetic multicellular marine benthic plants with proven industrial applications. Seaweeds are comprised of carbohydrates mainly sulphated polysaccharides, proteins, lipids, bioactive compounds and minerals. All these components act as a substrate to produce food, feed, fuel, bioactive components and platform chemicals using various biological and chemical methods. Among all, the biological routes mainly enzymes are considered as a greener approach due to their environmentally friendly nature. Most of these enzymes have been obtained from marine microorganisms. Recently, enzymes from marine extremophiles have also gained global interest due to their competence to tolerate extreme harsh conditions of salinity, pH, temperature, pressure, etc. Researchers are now actively working on finding novel strains that can produce extreme enzymes to hydrolyze seaweeds to produce products of industrial importance. This chapter provides insight on seaweeds and their applications, different types of seaweed degrading enzymes obtained from marine extremophiles and their use, current research and developments on marine extremophiles and future prospectives.
