The most important Bacillus species in biotechnology

Bacteria in the genus Bacillus have been known by their important impact on the Human activity. Being composed of bacteria characterized by a high diversity both with regard to the G+C content and metabolic capabilities, the genus Bacillus encompasses both pathogenic and beneficial bacteria. The second cluster is represented by several species that have been implicated in various industrial applications. These include the industrial production of enzymes with great interest in detergent and food sectors; the production of primary metabolites such as vitamins and ribonucleosides; of secondary metabolites including bacteriocins and biosurfactants and of plant growth promoting formulations. Moreover, recent studies have shown that bacteria in the genus Bacillus produce fine chemicals with interesting biotechnological applications like for example carotenoid pigments and a variety of biopolymers including poly-g-glutamic acid and lactic acid. These findings open new perspectives for new biotechnological applications of Bacillus spp. In this chapter, we discuss the evolution and ecology of the species within the genus Bacillus and report a literature review of the various biotechnological applications of the most important species.