Applied biocatalysis

The course is aimed to provide to the students the basic knowledge necessary to develop a bioprocess based on the application of enzymes and/or microbial cells, which needs to gather tools across different biotechnological techniques. Specific objects of the course are the following:
- Learning how to apply the biotechnological techniques learned during the first year of the master degree for the evolution of enzymes or microbial cells into efficient biocatalysts;
- Learning from consolidated and/or more innovative and recent successful examples on how a biocatalytic process is developed and optimized;
- Assessing the most suited technologies for intensifying a biocatalytic process

At the end of the course the student will know why biocatalyses is strategic for the bioeconomy in a bio-based industry context. The student will be familiar with the essential steps in the development of biocatalytic processes from concept to completion, by the application of the best suited methodologies (protein engineering, metabolic engineering, immobilization, continuous processes) to develop an innovative biocatalytic process of industrial interest. The focus will be on bioprocesses relevant in the agri-food and bioenergy fields.