Discovery of untapped nonculturable microbes for exploring novel industrial enzymes based on advanced next-generation metagenomic approach

The search for biochemical has led humans to explore microbes as cell factories. Microbes are one of the richest sources of industrial biocatalysts. The microorganisms are fast-growing living organisms and can produce many bioactive compounds during their regular metabolic processes. Conventionally, the omnipresent microbes are isolated from nature into cultural plates in the laboratory. After culturing, screening, and systematic processing, these microbes are used commercially as cell factories to produce biochemicals. However, studies suggested that the number of microorganisms that cannot be cultured outnumbers the number of microorganisms that can be cultured. Being nonculturable, these microbes remain untapped for a longer time. Still, the advent of metagenomics brought a significant change in the scenario and opened many opportunities for exploiting these nonculturable microbes for several applications. Metagenomics, being culture-independent, is a powerhouse in discovering industrially important enzymes. In the current chapter, the need, problems associated with nonculturable microbes, and how, with the help of a metagenomic the issue can be overcome have been elaborated. Also, the importance and application of unculturable microbes and the significance of next-generation metagenomics in various industrial sectors have been elaborated on and how they can contribute to society.