Production of fine chemicals by (bio)transformation of agro-food by-products and wastes

The efficient extraction and transformation of agro-food by-products and wastes into high-added values fine chemicals is crucial for setting up a cost-effective biorefinery. The use of biocatalysts to perform chemical transformations on organic compounds occurring in agro-food by-products and wastes seems to be particularly appropriate; biocatalysis occurs under mild and selective conditions being suitable for the modifications of mixtures of polifunctional molecules, such as saccharides, lipids, peptides, proteins and other naturally-occurring compounds. The extraction from the complex source or from the final biotransformation mixture also plays a crucial role in the overall bioprocess. The more efficient and economical techniques will be discussed in this chapter. Examples of classical and new bioprocesses are reported and the potential for improving these via an integrated application of different strategies (molecular biology, extractive systems, immobilization etc.) is highlited.