Fungal Enzymes in Focus: Novel Approaches in Production and Purification for Industrial and Environmental Challenges

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to invite you to contribute to this Special Issue titled "Fungal Enzymes in Focus: Novel Approaches in Production and Purification for Industrial and Environmental Challenges" in Catalysts.

Fungal enzymes have emerged as powerful and versatile biocatalysts in a wide range of industrial, agricultural, environmental, and biomedical applications. Their natural diversity, high stability, and ability to function under extreme conditions make them attractive alternatives to chemical catalysts and enzymes from other biological sources. Among them, proteolytic enzymes such as proteases and collagenases have gained special attention for their use in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, food, and leather industries, as well as in sustainable waste valorization and bioremediation strategies. In recent years, significant advances have been made in the isolation, production, purification, and molecular characterization of fungal enzymes. Additionally, innovations in enzyme engineering, fermentation technology, and green bioprocesses have further unlocked their biotechnological potential. This rapidly evolving field continues to offer exciting opportunities for both fundamental research and industrial application.

This Special Issue aims to present recent advances in the discovery, production, purification, characterization, and application of enzymes of fungal origin. Emphasis will be placed on novel proteolytic enzymes, including but not limited to proteases and collagenases, as well as on innovative bioprocesses and industrial biocatalysis involving fungal enzymes. This topic is well-aligned with the scope of Catalysts, which encompasses research on catalytic processes, enzyme catalysis, and biocatalysis in industrial and environmental contexts. By bringing together cutting-edge studies from academia and industry, this Special Issue seeks to highlight the relevance of fungal enzymes in addressing global challenges through sustainable and efficient catalytic systems. We welcome contributions that explore the interface between enzyme science and industrial application, promoting innovation in fields such as green chemistry, enzyme technology, and synthetic biology.

In this Special Issue, original research articles, reviews, and short communications are welcome.

Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following topics:

• Isolation and screening of fungi for enzyme production;
• Production and optimization of fungal enzymes via fermentation;
• Purification and biochemical/molecular characterization of fungal enzymes;
• Novel fungal proteases and collagenases: discovery and application;
• Structural and functional studies of fungal enzymes;
• Genetic engineering and synthetic biology approaches for enzyme improvement;
• Enzyme immobilization, stabilization, and formulation strategies;
• Industrial applications of fungal enzymes in food, cosmetics, textiles, leather, pharmaceuticals, and bioenergy;
• Environmental applications of fungal enzymes in biodegradation and bioremediation;
• Advances in scale-up and downstream processing of fungal enzyme production;
• Integrative omics (genomics, proteomics, transcriptomics) in fungal enzyme discovery.

We look forward to your contributions and to building a high-impact collection of articles that will advance the field of fungal enzymology and industrial biocatalysis.

Prof. Dr. Romero M.P. Brandão-Costa
Prof. Dr. Galba M. Campos-Takaki
Prof. Dr. Ana Cristina L. Leite
Prof. Dr. Ana Lúcia F. Porto
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Catalysts is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• fermentation
• filamentous fungi
• enzymes
• biotechnology