11.8 Applications
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stable at the pH and temperatures and maintain their activity and stability when in
contact with the different chemicals which are used in the cleaning products.
11.8.2 Biodiesel Production
The production of biodiesel is a transesterification reaction between fatty acid and
methanol in the presence of a catalyst. This yields glycerol and soap as a by-product
alongside the biodiesel. Lipase produced from algae has potential application in
biofuel production. As mentioned earlier, one of the reactions catalyzed by lipase
is the transesterification reaction. In fact, lipase-catalyzed transesterification has
up to sevenfold higher yield than sodium hydroxide-catalyzed transesterification.
This has been observed when the transesterification of lipids extracted from green
microalga Tetraselmis sp. using both catalysts was compared (Teo et al. 2014). The
aforementioned study made use of immobilized lipase.
11.8.3 Antifungal Agents and Pesticides
The key activity of enzymes is in catalyzing the breakdown of compounds such as
chitin, cellulose and lipids. This breakdown of compounds can be associated with
antimicrobial and pesticide activity. Fungi and insects, for example, are made up of
chitin which provides them with a level of resistance to environment or chemical
damage. Therefore, enzymes which can break down chitin present in the fungal
cell walls and insect exoskeletons can act as antifungal and antimicrobial agents.
The marine bacterium Pseudoalteromonas piscicida, for example, shows antifungal
activity against seven different fungi strains which includes P. galatheae, V. neptunius,
P. piscicida, P. rubra, P. fuliginea and V. fluvialis (Paulsen et al. 2016). This form of
antifungal and pesticides provides an alternative to the chemical-based ones which
are often less selective and could have adverse effects on whole crop and product.
11.8.4 Bioactive Oligomers
Some biopolymers have improved bioactivity when they are partially hydrolyzed into
smaller molecular weight oligomers. These are short-chain polymers with a degree
of polymerization less than 100. The bioactivity of some polymers such as alginate
and fucoidan can be tuned by breaking specific bonds on the polymer chain. For
example, alginate which is made up of a combination of block and alternating chains
of mannuronic and guluronic acid can be broken down into smaller chains of either
purely mannuronic or guluronic acid oligomers or alternating chains of mannuronic
and guluronic acid units using enzymes which are specific to the respective sites.
253
stable at the pH and temperatures and maintain their activity and stability when in
contact with the different chemicals which are used in the cleaning products.
11.8.2 Biodiesel Production
The production of biodiesel is a transesterification reaction between fatty acid and
methanol in the presence of a catalyst. This yields glycerol and soap as a by-product
alongside the biodiesel. Lipase produced from algae has potential application in
biofuel production. As mentioned earlier, one of the reactions catalyzed by lipase
is the transesterification reaction. In fact, lipase-catalyzed transesterification has
up to sevenfold higher yield than sodium hydroxide-catalyzed transesterification.
This has been observed when the transesterification of lipids extracted from green
microalga Tetraselmis sp. using both catalysts was compared (Teo et al. 2014). The
aforementioned study made use of immobilized lipase.
11.8.3 Antifungal Agents and Pesticides
The key activity of enzymes is in catalyzing the breakdown of compounds such as
chitin, cellulose and lipids. This breakdown of compounds can be associated with
antimicrobial and pesticide activity. Fungi and insects, for example, are made up of
chitin which provides them with a level of resistance to environment or chemical
damage. Therefore, enzymes which can break down chitin present in the fungal
cell walls and insect exoskeletons can act as antifungal and antimicrobial agents.
The marine bacterium Pseudoalteromonas piscicida, for example, shows antifungal
activity against seven different fungi strains which includes P. galatheae, V. neptunius,
P. piscicida, P. rubra, P. fuliginea and V. fluvialis (Paulsen et al. 2016). This form of
antifungal and pesticides provides an alternative to the chemical-based ones which
are often less selective and could have adverse effects on whole crop and product.
11.8.4 Bioactive Oligomers
Some biopolymers have improved bioactivity when they are partially hydrolyzed into
smaller molecular weight oligomers. These are short-chain polymers with a degree
of polymerization less than 100. The bioactivity of some polymers such as alginate
and fucoidan can be tuned by breaking specific bonds on the polymer chain. For
example, alginate which is made up of a combination of block and alternating chains
of mannuronic and guluronic acid can be broken down into smaller chains of either
purely mannuronic or guluronic acid oligomers or alternating chains of mannuronic
and guluronic acid units using enzymes which are specific to the respective sites.