Abstract: Until the advent of genetic engineering, enzyme producers were limited in their ability to produce innovative products for the marketplace. They were constrained to isolate enzymes from organisms approved for the industrial use. The desired characteristics could be enhanced only using classical in lit agenesis techniques. When these methods failed, no alternatives were available. Commercialization depended on incremental yield improvements gained by continuous programs of strain development. The ability to use recombinant DNA (rDNA) techniques has removed many of these barriers. Enzyme producers recognized early the potential for commercialization new products using genetic manipulation. They worked with a wide variety of single-celled organisms that were simpler and thus, easier to understand then the higher orders of plants and animals. The organisms already were well characterized for growth and expression rates. Short life cycles allowed rapid testing. These systems were ideal for genetic manipulation using rDNA techniques. Genetic engineering, combined with an understanding of biocatalysts to predict alterations for enzyme improvements, is revolutionizing the production and use of enzymes in the marketplace. Offering a recombinant produced product represents the culmination of a long and complex effort on the part of a multitude of disciplines: molecular and microbiology, X-ray crystallography, enzymology, protein and organic chemistry, biochemistry, fermentation and formulation engineering, assay chemistry and technical service/applications, marketing, sales. Because of the variety of disciplines required, a critical mass is needed to innovate products successfully and them to market. The continued proliferation of novel enzyme products requires development of core technologies so complex and expensive that they can be justified only rDNA technology must consider regulatory issues, ownership protection and consumer acceptance.