But suitable enzymes are difficult to find. The enzymes they produce are frequently very difficult to test in the lab. The combination of biotechnological processes and computer-aided screening enables the search to be carried out with high efficiency. Complex substances can be synthesized conventionally only at some inconvenience, if at all. They need many synthetic stages, high temperatures and extreme pressures.
Biocatalysts greatly simplify production and in some instances make it possible in the first place.
In the case of fine chemicals and intermediates for the pharmaceutical and agricultural sectors, biocatalysts enable biologically active products to be produced in a specific manner. Unlike conventional production, biologically inactive variants, known as enantiomers, are not produced in the first place, obviating the need for complicated separation and purification processes. The methods of molecular biology play a central part in the search for useful biocatalysts and increase the chances of success. The genes responsible for the synthesis of enzymes are isolated and transferred to readily cultivable hosts which then produce the enzyme. It is then possible to test even enzymes that were previously not available in sufficient quantity.