Cofactor Regeneration - an Important Aspect of Biocatalysis

Biocatalysis has made tremendous advances in the field of synthesis of industrially important products and intermediates. Cofactors are an important part of many enzymes which are involved in biocatalysis. These cofactors are expensive and stoichiometric additions are not economically feasible. This necessitates the in situ cofactor regeneration in biocatalytic processes. Various methods of regeneration of NAD(H)/NADP(H), an important class of cofactors, have been reviewed in this article. We discuss their salient features, suitability for current bioprocesses, drawbacks and scope of improvement.