Strategic Approach in the Practical Use of Industrial Carbohydrate Active Enzymes

Original enzymes screened from nature are not necessarily perfect for industrial applications. Thermostable enzymes from hyperthermophiles often show broad reaction/substrate specificities. Although the enzymes from plants or mesophilic microorganisms exhibit relatively strict reaction/substrate specificities, their thermostabilities are not high enough for industrial purposes. Here we describe two practical approaches for overcoming this problem, introducing amylose production with α-glucan phosphorylases and cycloamylose production with amylomaltases.