4. Conclusion

The growing interest in extremophiles and their biotechnological applications has much to do with the fact that they represent a new frontier to be explored. What's more, extremophiles are prompting us to revise our basic knowledge of biology. Their biological constituents possess properties that are of direct interest to existing industrial applications, for which they can optimize processes. They also open up prospects for the implementation of new biological processes where chemical methods alone struggle to meet environmental requirements and ensure process profitability.

However, efforts to exploit this potential in France and Europe are low compared with Japan and the USA. Strong political decisions are needed to make the most of this potential in the coming years.