Halophilic hydrolases as a new tool for the biotechnological industries.

Halophilic micro-organisms are able to survive in high salt concentrations because they have developed diverse biochemical, structural and physiological modifications, allowing the catalytic synthesis of proteins with interesting physicochemical and structural properties. The main characteristic of halophilic enzymes that allows them to be considered as a novel alternative for use in the biotechnological industries is their polyextremophilicity, i.e.

A process to produce penicillin G acylase by surface-adhesion fermentation using Mucor griseocyanus to obtain 6-aminopenicillanic acid by penicillin G hydrolysis.

The production of extracellular and mycelia-associated penicillin G acylase (maPGA) with Mucor griseocyanus H/55.1.1 by surface-adhesion fermentation using Opuntia imbricata, a cactus, as a natural immobilization support was studied.