Laccases as versatile enzymes: from industrial uses to novel applications

Abstract The application of enzymes offers an enormous potential in the improvement of existing industrial procedures and in the establishment of new processes for obtaining high‐added value products. Enzymes provide cleaner and more efficient industrial processes and contribute to the sustainability concept. In this sense, laccases are very versatile biocatalysts currently used in food, textile and pulp and paper sectors among others. During the last years, scientific efforts have been diverted to the exploitation of such interesting enzymes in novel fields like lignocellulosic biorefineries, biosensors or enzymatic biofuel cells. This review provides a general vision of the use of laccase enzymes describing their main characteristics and mode of action. Furthermore, their current uses in industrial processes are summarized and the most novel potential application of laccases are revealed. The increasing interest on laccases is also demonstrated by the research efforts on enzyme engineering as it is detailed in this review. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry