Table 2.
Biotechnological applications of major groups of extremophiles.
| Enzymes, organic compounds and processes | Applications and products | Most representing Genera |
|---|---|---|
| Amylases and pullulanases | Glucose, fructose for sweeteners; polymer-degrading additives in detergents | Pyrococcus, Thermococcus, Fervidobacterium, Dictyoglomus, Anaerobranca |
| Cellulases and Xylanases | Paper bleaching | Clostridium, Petrotoga, Thermotoga, Thermosypho, Moorella, Caldicoprobacter, Caldicellulosiruptor |
| Proteases | Amino acid production from keratins, food processing, baking, brewing, detergents | Thermoanaerobacter, Fervidobacterium |
| DNA-polymerases and ligases | Genetic engineering | Thermotoga, Pyrococcus, Thermococcus, Archaeoglobus, Thermoanaerobacter |
| Ethanol | Chemical and food industries | Clostridium, Thermoanaerobacter; Thermoanaerobacterium, Caldanaerobius, Caloramator |
| Hydrogen and/or methane | Energy, fuels | Clostridium, Carboxydocella, Thermincola, Thermosinus, Thermotoga, Carboxydothermus, Carboxydobrachium, Anaerobaculum, Methanotorris, Methanococcus, Methanothermococcus, Methanotermobacter |
| Volatile fatty Acids | Chemical and food industries | Clostridium |
The data reported here represent a summary of all that has been proposed and applied. A more exhaustive list of applications has been published by Vieille and Zeikus (2001).