Microbial Tannase Production from Agro-industrial Byproducts for Industrial Applications

Tannases are biotechnologically important enzymes distributed throughout plants, animals and microbes; however, microbial tannase has been widely used in industrial applications. Being a versatile enzyme, tannase has a wide range of applications, including food, feed, beverages, pharmaceuticals, chemical industries, wastewater treatment and gallic acid production. Despite its immense potential, the widespread and large-scale industrial application of tannase is hampered by the usage of high purity and costly substrates, leading to higher enzyme production costs. Interest in tannase production from agro-industrial byproducts as alternative low-cost substrates has remarkably increased and recently gained considerable attention due to its low cost and wide application. Agro-industrial byproducts are nutrient-rich lignocellulosic plant materials, with high carbohydrates and tannin content as well as abundantly available, cheap and sustainable supply, making them an ideal low-cost substrate for microbial tannase production. Biotransformation of agro-industrial byproducts into high-value-added products such as industrial enzymes is not only a viable strategy for waste valorization through microbial fermentation technology, but also helps in addressing the environmental issues associated with its disposal. Given the relevance of agro-industrial waste as feedstock for enzyme production, this chapter highlights various important aspects in the development of microbial tannase, emphasizing the screening of new potential tannase-producing microbial strains, selection of tannin-rich biomass as suitable substrates, different fermentation strategies, optimization of process parameters, enzyme purification and biochemical properties, recent trends in microbial fermentation and finally, modern biotechnology approach for advanced, cost-effective and economical production of industrial tannase.