Qualitative detection of selenium in fortified soil and water samples by a paper chromatographic-carboxyl esterase enzyme inhibition technique

Esterases as emerging biocatalysts: Mechanistic insights, genomic and metagenomic, immobilization, and biotechnological applications

Esterase enzymes are a family of hydrolases that catalyze the breakdown and formation of ester bonds. Esterases have gained a prominent position in today's world's industrial enzymes market. Due to their unique biocatalytic attributes, esterases contribute to environmentally sustainable design approaches, including biomass degradation, food and feed industry, dairy, clothing, agrochemical (herbicides, insecticides), bioremediation, biosensor development, anticancer, antitumor, gene therapy, and diagnostic purposes. Esterases can be isolated by a diverse range of mammalian tissues, animals, and microorganisms. The isolation of extremophilic esterases increases the interest of researchers in the extraction and utilization of these enzymes at the industrial level. Genomic, metagenomic, and immobilization techniques have opened innovative ways to extract esterases and utilize them for a longer time to take advantage of their beneficial activities. The current study discusses the types of esterases, metagenomic studies for exploring new esterases, and their biomedical applications in different industrial sectors.

Enzyme inhibition-based biosensors for food safety and environmental monitoring

Analytical technology based on sensors is an extremely broad field which impacts on many major industrial sectors such as the pharmaceutical, healthcare, food, and agriculture industries as well as environmental monitoring. This review will highlight the research carried out during the last 5 years on biosensors that are based on enzyme inhibition for determination of pollutants and toxic compounds in a wide range of samples. Here the different enzymes implicated in the inhibition, different transducers forming the sensing devices, and the different contaminants analyzed are considered. The general application of the various biosensors developed, with emphasis on food and environmental applications, is reviewed as well as the general approaches that have been used for enzyme immobilization, the enzyme catalysis, and the inhibition mechanism.