Industrial production of enzymes, especially Lipases requires dedicated research, opined Prof. B.K.Konwar, Vice-Chancellor, Nagaland University. He was delivering a special lecture titled ‘Metagenomic DNA for the production of industrially important Lipase enzyme’ organised by Department of Plant Sciences at the University. Prof.Konwar, who holds a PhD from Imperial College London, is an eminent scientist working in the fields of plant biotechnology and plant genomics.
He said that enzymes, particularly Lipases, are in great demand in many industrial applications like food, detergent, textile, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical sectors. But the industrial production of these enzymes requires long term research commitments. As the country is looking for industrial development, research into the field of industrial production of these enzymes needs more attention.
According to Prof.Konwar, Metagenomic approaches in enzyme extraction are giving positive results for the large scale extraction of Lipases. Isolation and identification of genes for industrially important enzymes, Cloning and transfer of desirable enzyme producing genes to E.coli bacteria are major steps in this process, he added. He also said that thermal stability of these enzymes should be high to make them fit for industrial purposes. He noted that only a few research papers are produced in India in this field.
In his concluding remarks, Prof.Konwar said that whether it is science or art, whatever we do we have to be conscious about our environment as our actions are affecting our delicate ecosystem.
By Joyel Pious, MA-Communication