This revised edition takes account of advances in the last five years with regard to the impact of biologically based technologies. With the development in molecular biology, especially in genetic engineering of organisms and in site specific mutagenesis of genes, many problems of fundamental and applied science have been solved, not least in enzymology. Added to these advances the possibility of generating catalysts from antibodies has become a topic of major interest. These major innovations have changed the emphasis of much bioorganic research. Whereas in the past the protein was often the "sleeping partner" in a study, its detailed function is now the major focus of scientific interest. This study reveals how, similarly in industry, the potential of genetically manipulated organisms to satisfy the needs for the production of chemicals and foodstuffs has been widely recognized. The scope of the book has been extended to include further discussion of areas of industrial significance in relation to chemical synthesis and the food industry.The chapter on the food industry has a greater applied scientific bias than many of the others and because of the macromolecular nature of the substrates involved is less specific with regard to detailed structural organic chemistry.
