Enzymatic reactions in biotechnology (48th Bach lecture)]

The paper is the 48th Bach Lecture presented under the same title. It covers the biochemical mechanisms of the biogenesis of microbial biosynthetic products, role of acetyl-CoA, function of the succinate-glycine cycle, reactions of the hexose-monophosphate pathway of carbon metabolism. The reversible action of hydrolases in enzymatic catalysis and degradation of xenobiotics are discussed. The data on redox reactions are pooled. Such modern biotechnological processes as epoxidation, synthesis of acrylamide and some monomers involved in chemical syntheses of polymers, synthesis of oligosaccharide and fluorine-containing amino acids are considered. Promising commercial applications of biocatalysis are discussed.