In recent times a trend in which the world industry is going towards a more sustainable development can be seen. As an example of that there are stricter regulations of carbon dioxide emissions and stricter regulations in the chemical industry. More resources are devoted into processes that are in tune with nature such as the biocatalytic processes. A rapid development of the use of enzymes and biocatalysis can already be seen and it is expected to develop at an even faster pace in the near future. In this work, the definition of enzymes is given, along with their advantages and disadvantages. The challenges of their use in industry is reviewed. Methods that are currently being used for the improvement of enzymes and the process of biocatalysis are also studied. An overview of the use of enzymes in industry and specific examples of the use of biocatalytic synthesis with an emphasis on the enzyme MenD which catalyzes the reaction between acrylic acid and α-ketoglutarate in which 4-ketopimelic acid is given. This reaction presents an interesting new way of synthesis of 4-ketopimelic acid which is used as a building block for more complex molecules. Acrylic acid is a non-physiological substrate of the enzyme MenD and for that reason this reaction is interesting.