# Industrial enzymes: Production route

One fermentation method, many enzyme families

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/enzymes/routes/

What this tab covers How it is made: the main production routes or, for product families, the main product types and technologies, compared on share of supply, inputs per tonne, plant scale, yield, co-products and unit cost.

Enzymes are made by fermentation of engineered microbes and sold by activity. The family is best split by enzyme class: carbohydrases (amylases, glucoamylases, cellulases, xylanases), proteases, lipases, phytases and nucleic acid enzymes (polymerases and nucleases). Production technology is shared; what differs is the strain, the substrate and the formulation. Western leaders use submerged fermentation at large scale; Indian and Chinese makers also use solid-state fermentation for some products (indicative).

#### Routes compared

| Route | Share of supply | Inputs per tonne | Typical scale | Yield | Co-products | Unit cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Carbohydrases (amylases, glucoamylases, cellulases, xylanases)** | the largest enzyme class (indicative) | glucose or starch plus nitrogen; quantities not published | large fermentation sites (Denmark, US, China, Brazil, India) (indicative) | not published | spent biomass to fertiliser or biogas (indicative) | not published |
| **Proteases** | second-largest class (indicative) | not published | large-scale | not published | biomass | not published |
| **Lipases and specialty food enzymes** | smaller (indicative) | not published | medium-scale | not published | biomass | not published |
| **Phytases and feed enzymes** | most feed enzyme value (indicative) | not published | large-scale | not published | biomass | not published |
| **Polymerases, nucleases and diagnostics** | small volume, high value | not published | small batch | not published | not material | not published |

#### How each route works
**Carbohydrases (amylases, glucoamylases, cellulases, xylanases)**

Bacillus and Aspergillus amylases liquefy and saccharify starch for ethanol, syrups and brewing; Trichoderma cellulases break down biomass and finish textiles.

Core of ethanol and food markets.
 Grand View and MarketsandMarkets type lists; indicative **Proteases**

Bacillus subtilisins for detergents; other proteases for food, leather and feed.

Detergent workhorse; allergy risk in dust form.
 indicative **Lipases and specialty food enzymes**

Fungal lipases for detergents, baking, oils and dairy; lactases, transglutaminase and others for food.

High value; many niche products.
 indicative **Phytases and feed enzymes**

Engineered E. coli-derived phytases expressed in fungi or yeast, coated to survive feed pelleting.

Proven payback through phosphate savings.
 indicative **Polymerases, nucleases and diagnostics**

High-purity enzymes for PCR, sequencing and molecular biology.

Very high price per gram.
 MarketsandMarkets type list Unit economics are indicative ranges from the sources named; costs move with feedstock and energy prices, plant size and region.

## Other sections

- [Summary](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/enzymes/index.md)
- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/enzymes/overview/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/enzymes/correlation/index.md)
- [Production](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/enzymes/production/index.md)
- [Feedstocks](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/enzymes/feedstocks/index.md)
- [Cycles](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/enzymes/cycles/index.md)
- [Trading](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/enzymes/trading/index.md)
- [Movement](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/enzymes/movement/index.md)
- [Regulation](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/enzymes/regulation/index.md)
- [Characteristics](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/enzymes/characteristics/index.md)
- [Emissions](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/enzymes/emissions/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/enzymes/links/index.md)