What are thermozymes? Examine India's potential to exploit its geothermal microbial diversity for industrial biotechnology.

Thermozymes are enzymes made by thermophiles, which are microbes adapted to high heat. They stay folded and active at temperatures that destroy ordinary enzymes. An amoeba was recently reported to reproduce at 63 °C, above the 60 °C long treated as the limit for complex cells [1]. This shows that heat-adapted life is more varied than thought. India's hot springs are a large and little-used source of such enzymes.

Thermozymes: nature and uses

• Heat stability: their proteins resist unfolding and clumping. The "fire amoeba" also switches on genes that repair its DNA and cell membranes [1].
• Industrial value: amylases (starch, textiles), xylanases (paper bleaching), cellulases (biofuels) and DNA polymerases (PCR).
• Process gains: faster reactions, less contamination and lower cooling costs in high-temperature industrial processes.

India's potential

• Resource base: about 340 hot springs are listed in GSI's Geothermal Atlas of India, 2022 [2], from the Himalaya (Puga, Manikaran) to peninsular India.
• Proven leads: bacteria isolated at Surajkund (Jharkhand) produced amylase, xylanase and cellulase, and the amylase stayed stable at high temperatures [3].
• Research capacity: BSIP scientists studied carbonate deposits in Puga's hot springs to understand the origin of life and Mars-like biosignatures [4].
• Policy support: the BioE3 Policy (2024) makes bio-based chemicals and enzymes a thematic sector and funds biofoundries and biomanufacturing hubs [5].

Constraints

• Survey method misses organisms: Surajkund was surveyed with 16S rRNA markers [3], which detect only bacteria and archaea. Heat-loving eukaryotes such as the fire amoeba [1] would go unrecorded.
• Lab-to-market gap: most studies stop at isolating and describing microbes. Few reach industrial-scale fermentation or partner with industry.
• Habitat pressure: many springs are pilgrimage and tourist sites, and geothermal drilling at Puga [2] could disturb microbial habitats.
• Benefit-sharing: collecting these microbes for commercial use must follow the access and benefit-sharing rules of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002.

Thermozymes can turn India's geothermal heritage into an industrial asset. A national hot-spring microbiome programme would help. It should use eukaryotic markers alongside 16S, grow microbes in the lab, and link to BioE3 biofoundries [5]. Combined with conservation of the springs, this can move Indian enzyme manufacturing up the value chain, supporting SDG 9 and a sustainable bioeconomy.