Table 1 Advantages and disadvantages of whole-cell biocatalysis in comparison with chemical catalysis

High selectivity (which can be chiral, positional, and functional group-specific)

Catalyst stability: biocatalyst is susceptible to substrate or product inhibition; inactivation may occur at high temperatures, at extremes of pH, or in organic solvents

High catalytic efficiency

The cell membrane may act as a mass transport barrier

Multi-step reactions in single strain with cofactor regeneration

Much more likely to have undesirable metabolic by-products, which may be toxic to the cells and difficult to separate

Recycling is sometimes possible

Milder operational conditions

Environmentally friendly