Psychrophilic microorganisms: Habitats and exploitation potentials
Rajarshi Banerjee, Arpita Halder, Ashima Natta
Psychrophilic microorganisms have the capability to grow under low and moderate temperature. They can be divided into 3 groups: Bacteria, Yeast and Fungi. They can be found in natural sources (Soil, River water, Lake Water etc.), Polar Regions, Marine Environment, many Foods (Meat, Dairy Products etc.) and Vegetables. The application of Psychrophiles is opening many more new areas in Biotechnology. Due to its unique biological features, Psychrophiles can be significantly exploited for use in biotechnological industries like Pharmaceutical, Enzyme production, Bioremediation, Biosensors, Cosmetics, Agriculture, and Textile Industry etc. In this paper, several groups of Psychrophiles and their occurrence are described briefly. The present paper provides an overview of the distribution and adaptation strategies of psychrophilic organisms worldwide. This paperwork also focuses on the applications of Psychrophiles in various industries with proper examples.