ABSTRACT
Fermentation, as the method of choice for manufacturing, has been used by
mankind since the beginning of human history and is now recognized for its
potential toward sustainable industrial development. Since discovery of the fer-
mentative activity of microorganisms in the 18th century and its proof by the
French scientist Louis Pasteur, fermentative production of alcohols, amino acids,
enzymes (biocatalysts), organic acids, vitamins, and natural polymers for
food, feed, and other industrial applications has become well established. Fermen-
tative processes and enzymes can be applied to a wide variety of manufacturing
processes in which renewable resource-based materials are used and produced,
including health care, food processing, agriculture development, and waste
treatment applications. Industrial biotechnology companies, such as Genencor
International and Novozymes, sell enzymes for a wide variety of bioprocessing
applications. The worldwide enzyme market is about U.S. $2 billion for such
application areas as detergents, textiles, starch, baking, and animal feed (1).
