Abstract

In the 21st century, industrial applications of potential microbial enzymes have grown extensively and are still increasing to satisfy the requirements of the world's expanding population and to tackle the natural resources depletion. Due to the increasing demand of such enzymes, phytases have been thoroughly investigated to decrease the quantity of phytate in animal feed and human food. Phytases are a group of enzymes that are able to release phosphate from phytate, one of the superabundant forms of organic phosphate present in the natural environment. They comprise efficacious enzymatic groups that help in solubilizing phytate and therefore provide plants with a supportive environment. These enzymes can be obtained from different sources, for example, from animals, plants, and microbes. The microbial phytases have been recognized as more stable, efficient, and promising as compared to animal- and plant-based phytases. Phytate-solubilizing microbes use a sustainable and eco-friendly approach to reduce the consumption of chemically synthesized phosphate fertilizers that are widely used worldwide. These microbes have several biotechnological applications other than the agriculture sector, such as they can be used in fish feed, bioethanol production, the biomedical sector, and the paper and pulp industries. Notwithstanding the renowned importance of biotechnology, investigation on phytase-producing microbes and microbial phytases is noticeably restricted, and more efforts are required to develop the knowledge of phytases present in microbes and their application.

Key words: Agriculture; Biodiversity; Genomics; Microbes; Phytase