Advantages of using thermophiles in biotechnological processes: expectations and reality

Abstract When thermophilic organisms were first considered for use in biotechnology, certain advantages were expected. The extraordinarily high reaction rates and insensitivity of processes to contaminations have not been experienced in practice, but over the last decade increasing interest has been shown in the possibility of deriving a wide variety of bioproducts from thermophiles. In addition to their high thermostability they also promise to have greater tolerance to organic solvents and a longer useful life. The possibility of recovering volatile products directly from a culture provides the opportunity to develop simplified, elegant bioprocesses. However, a series of engineering problems remain to be solved.