review · BioTechnologia
Industrial sectors are increasingly turning to hydrolytic enzymes rather than chemical catalysts because enzymes offer high selectivity, straightforward process control, and minimal environmental impact through low byproduct generation. Xylanase breaks down the beta-1,4 linkages in xylan, which is the second most abundant renewable hemicellulosic component in plant cell walls. While xylanase occurs naturally across diverse sources including plants, animals, insects, molluscs, and various microorganisms, microbial variants are particularly relevant. Using xylanase improves the economic feasibility of breaking down lignocellulosic feedstocks into simpler sugars, liquid fuels, and valuable chemicals. Because of its distinct biochemical traits and substrate specificities, the biocatalyst finds broad industrial relevance across food, animal feed, paper and pulp processing, textiles, pharmaceuticals, and biorefining operations.
Replacing hazardous chemical catalysts with natural enzymes reduces industrial waste and lowers environmental harm. Xylanase provides a cleaner, highly selective way to process plant biomass. By enabling efficient conversion of plant materials into sugars and biochemicals, it supports more sustainable manufacturing across critical sectors such as paper production, textiles, food processing, and renewable energy generation.
The findings outline applications for industrial processors in biorefining, pulp and paper, textiles, food, feed, and pharmaceuticals seeking to process lignocellulosic matter into monosaccharides, liquid fuels, and platform chemicals. Because the text is an overview covering fermentation processes, purification methods, and established industrial uses, microbial xylanases represent tested and near-market biocatalytic tools, though specific technology readiness levels for proprietary production methods are not detailed.
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The utilization of hydrolytic enzymes in various industrial processes worldwide has gained more attention than chemical catalysts due to the high selectivity of enzymes, their ease of control, and their negligible environmental impact, as they produce very small amounts of byproducts. Xylanase is one such enzyme that catalyzes the breakdown of the β-1,4 linkage of xylan, the second most abundant renewable heteropolysaccharide and hemicellulosic constituent of the plant cell wall. Naturally, xylanase can be obtained from various sources such as mollusks, insects, plants, animals, and various microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, yeast, and algae). The utilization of xylanase could greatly improve the overall economics of processing lignocellulosic materials for the generation of monosaccharides, liquid fuels, and chemicals. Microbial xylanase is suitable for applications in food and feed, paper and pulp, textile, pharmaceutical, and biorefining industries. It has gained global attention due to its substrate specificities, biochemical properties, and various biotechnological applications. This review focuses on xylanase production, sources, fermentation processes, modes of action, purification methods, and applications in various industries.
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DOI: 10.5114/bta.2024.141806
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