Abstract
The bulk of enzymes that are now accessible come from mesophilic organisms, and because of their narrow range of stability, they are not suited for many industrial applications. Aside from these qualities, the optimal biocatalyst should also be effective, exhibit minimal product inhibition, have suitable substrate specificity, enantio-, and regio-selectivity, and produce maximum product in a reasonable amount of time with little to no byproducts. Therefore, in the pursuit of unraveling the mysteries of nature, research has discovered several undiscovered natural resources that have contributed to a deeper comprehension of the isolation of enzymes from diverse extreme habitats. One major contribution is the discovery of extremozymes. Numerous research investigations have been conducted on extreme environments, extremophiles, and extremozymes, using advanced biotechnology tools to isolate and characterize these enzyme structures and related functions. But rather than being contained in a single literature review, these details are accessible separately, focusing only on a few extreme conditions. Since industrial processes operate in large quantities, we need an enzyme that is stable under adverse circumstances, convenient to store, and effective at lower concentrations. Therefore, this review article will offer recent research and a deeper level of understanding to readers on various extreme conditions, extremozymes, and novel ecological hotspots as well as some widely performed methods to isolate and characterize them, along with factors affecting their stability. It also covers industrial applications and challenges faced by industry to isolate and purify extremozymes, along with advanced biotechnology tools that help to understand the structure and function of these extremozymes. So far, extremozymes from extreme conditions such as thermophilic, psychrophilic, acidophilic, alkalophilic, and halophilic are explored. However, many other environments, such as xerophilic, radiophilic, and peizophilic conditions, have not yet been explored widely. To solve these problems, we need more sophisticated tools and effective techniques to study beneficial enzymes out of these niches and use them in industrial settings. We also need to look at more extreme hotspot locations.
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