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Adv Biochem Eng Biotechnol 2022 May 9. Epub 2022 May 9.

Departamento de Biología Molecular y Biotecnología, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico.

Wide ranges of microorganisms produce glycosylated lipids (GL), which are characterized by their tensio-active properties. Therefore, they can be used in different industrial applications as biosurfactants, such as food, agriculture, cosmetics, and health products among others. Two GL biosurfactants, rhamnolipids (RL) and sophorolipids (SL), are now commercially available and share a significant part of the biosurfactant market that in 2017 represented about 2. Read More

Adv Biochem Eng Biotechnol 2022 Apr 24. Epub 2022 Apr 24.

Laboratory Automation and Biomanufacturing Engineering, Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA, Stuttgart, Germany.

The laboratory is a complex working environment, laboratory stuff need to manage and coordinate a multitude of processes, equipment, materials, samples, and people. Without agreements and definitions, long-term operation is economically inconceivable. Working with external partners and their systems would also not be possible without definitions. Read More

Adv Biochem Eng Biotechnol 2022 Apr 10. Epub 2022 Apr 10.

Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon, Republic of Korea.

With a presence of the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway, acetogenic bacteria are capable of converting C1 feedstocks into biomass and various metabolites, receiving industrial interest in microbial production of biochemicals derived from C1 substrates. To understand C1 feedstock fermentation using acetogenic bacteria, most of the studies have focused on revealing their carbon assimilation and energy conservation systems. Despite the determination of the essential mechanisms, a fundamental understanding of acetogenic bacteria and the associated complex regulatory systems remains unclear and is needed for rational strain design. Read More

Adv Biochem Eng Biotechnol 2022 Apr 2. Epub 2022 Apr 2.

Key Laboratory of Agricultural Environmental Microbiology, Ministry of Agriculture, Department of Microbiology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China.

In order to obtain strains with targeted changes in genetic characteristics, molecular biology and genetic engineering techniques are used to integrate target gene fragments into the vector and transform them into recipient cells. Due to the different target genes and functional elements on the transformation plasmids, gene silencing, gene knockout, and gene overexpression can be carried out, which provides a new way to study the gene function of edible fungi. At present, the cloning vectors used in the transformation of edible fungi are modified by bacterial plasmids, among which pCAMBIA-1300 plasmid and pAN7 plasmid are the two most commonly used basic vectors. Read More

Adv Biochem Eng Biotechnol 2022 Apr 2. Epub 2022 Apr 2.

Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia.

Since most of the medicinal mushrooms are rare in nature, production of fungal fruiting bodies is hardly covering the food market and the production of pharmaceutically active products, so artificial cultivation of fruiting bodies in a form of farming has been intensively established during the last 40 years. Various cultivation technologies are presented, including traditional farming of fruiting bodies on wood logs and beds, and also on other substrate-based media, such as cultivation in bags, bottles, and others. The advantage of farming is a cheap but time-consuming large-scale production. Read More

Adv Biochem Eng Biotechnol 2022 Apr 2. Epub 2022 Apr 2.

Systems and Synthetic Metabolism Group, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Potsdam-Golm, Germany.

In recent years the reductive glycine pathway (rGlyP) has emerged as a promising pathway for the assimilation of formate and other sustainable C1-feedstocks for future biotechnology. It was originally proposed as an attractive "synthetic pathway" to support formatotrophic growth due to its high ATP efficiency, linear structure, and limited overlap with native pathways in most microbial hosts. Here, we present the current state of research on this pathway including breakthroughs on its engineering. Read More

Adv Biochem Eng Biotechnol 2022 Mar 26. Epub 2022 Mar 26.

Multiscale Bioengineering, Faculty of Technology, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany.

Microfluidics has emerged as a powerful tool, enabling biotechnological processes to be performed on a microscale where certain physical processes (such as laminar flow, surface-to-volume ratio, and surface interactions) become dominant factors. At the same time, volumes and assay times are also reduced in microscale - which can substantially lower experimental costs. A decade ago, most microfluidic systems were only used for proof-of-concept studies; today, a wide array of microfluidic systems have been deployed to tackle various biotechnological research questions - especially regarding the analysis, screening, and understanding of cellular systems. Read More

Adv Biochem Eng Biotechnol 2022 Mar 23. Epub 2022 Mar 23.

Department of Life Cycle Engineering GaBi, Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics IBP, Stuttgart, Germany.

Biosurfactants are considered as an environmentally friendly and sustainable alternative to conventional fossil-derived and chemically produced surfactants. Their production pathways, physicochemical properties, and applications are widely researched and discussed in literature. In this context, investigating the different impacts from the entire life cycle of biosurfactants is important to understand and mitigate potential environmental hotspots. Read More

Adv Biochem Eng Biotechnol 2022 Mar 18. Epub 2022 Mar 18.

Hamburg University of Technology, Institute of Bioprocess and Biosystems Engineering, Hamburg, Germany.

Recent advances in biosynthesis using one-carbon (C1) compounds (e.g., CO and syngas) have led to first process examples of industrial demonstration for producing C1-based chemicals. Read More

Adv Biochem Eng Biotechnol 2022 Mar 18. Epub 2022 Mar 18.

Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant, Ghent, Belgium.

Within the bio-economy, more specifically within the bio-based industries, biomass feedstock - in contrast to fossil feedstocks in the fossil-based economy - is converted into the so-called bio-based products such as biosurfactants, bioplastics, pharmaceuticals, paper, textiles, and biofuels using either chemical or biological production methods or a combination thereof. In Europe a turnover of 60 billion EUR is associated with bio-based plastics and chemicals such as biosurfactants, and 40% of the global biosurfactant market turnover is associated with the European market. The growing use of bio-based surfactants in detergents, personal care products, and oilfield chemicals is fueling the growth of this market, which is driven, in many applications, by more stringent regulations and by an increasing consumer demand for "green and sustainable" products. Read More

Adv Biochem Eng Biotechnol 2022 Mar 17. Epub 2022 Mar 17.

MiPI, TERRA Teaching and Research Centre, Joint Research Unit BioEcoAgro, UMRt 1158, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, University of Liège, Gembloux, Belgium.

Surfactin, one of the best lipopeptide surfactants, was first isolated from Bacillus sp. in 1969. Since then, Bacillus sp. Read More

Adv Biochem Eng Biotechnol 2022 Mar 17. Epub 2022 Mar 17.

Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, China.

The glycine cleavage system (GCS) is a fundamental component of life, widely existing in microbes, plants, animals, and humans. A better understanding of the functionality and working mechanisms, and the engineering of the GCS have both scientific and practical impacts, which may lead to new knowledge and findings in life sciences, improved biomass production and human/animal health, efficient biosynthesis of chemicals, effective carbon fixation and global climate change mitigation. In this chapter, the GCS is first discussed in the context of the reductive glycine pathway (rGlyP), a recently proposed and appealing assimilation pathway of CO and formate, and its implementation and optimization in microorganisms for formatotrophic growth. Read More

Adv Biochem Eng Biotechnol 2022 Mar 10. Epub 2022 Mar 10.

Bull, ATOS Technologies, Grenoble, France.

Artificial intelligence represents a powerful computational tool to analyze large amounts of data with and without supervision. Such powerful techniques have significantly impacted the advancement of multiple sectors from social media to data security, the automotive industry, gaming, finances, and healthcare. Only recently, however, artificial intelligence has been making significant strides in healthcare and biomedical research. Read More

Adv Biochem Eng Biotechnol 2022 Mar 5. Epub 2022 Mar 5.

Department of Chemical Engineering (Integrated Engineering), Kyung Hee University, Yongin-si, South Korea.

Methane is considered the carbon source with the highest potential in industrial biotechnology because of its abundance and sustainability. The biological conversion of methane into chemicals or fuels can not only reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but can also substitute edible substrates used in biorefineries. Methanotrophs that can utilize methane as the sole energy and carbon source play a significant role in the ecology of methane. Read More

Adv Biochem Eng Biotechnol 2022 Mar 5. Epub 2022 Mar 5.

School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Ulster, Coleraine, UK.

There are numerous biosurfactant producing strains and products reported annually most of which aspiring to potential future industrial and environmental applications. Only a few of these compounds have reached commercial applications due to many impediments to large-scale production and applications. We investigate some of the important criteria and investigations required to achieve such future commercial application. Read More

Adv Biochem Eng Biotechnol 2022 Mar 5. Epub 2022 Mar 5.

Department of Process Engineering, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa.

Biosurfactants encompass a number of structurally and chemically diverse compounds, all of which demonstrate surface active properties. The potential and current application of these compounds ranges from enhanced oil recovery, through detergents, emulsifiers in foods, antifungal agents, antibiotics, and even to uses in the minerals processing industry. And while the market demand for these products is growing, the industry still is significantly smaller than the synthetic surfactants market. Read More

Adv Biochem Eng Biotechnol 2022 Feb 27. Epub 2022 Feb 27.

Key Laboratory of Systems Microbial Biotechnology, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences; National Technology Innovation Center of Synthetic Biology, Tianjin, China.

Methanol is a promising alternative feedstock for biomanufacturing. However, natural platform industrial microorganisms such as Escherichia coli and Corynebacterium glutamicum cannot assimilate methanol. Although some methanol assimilation pathways differ from the typical sugar metabolism by only a few enzymes, engineering platform microorganisms to efficiently utilize methanol is very challenging. Read More

Adv Biochem Eng Biotechnol 2022 Feb 27. Epub 2022 Feb 27.

Institute of Edible Fungi, Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, China.

The survival of Homo sapiens is continually under threat from agencies capable of inflicting calamitous damage to the overall health and well-being of humankind. One strategy aimed at combatting this threat is focused on medicinal mushrooms and derivatives thereof. Mushrooms themselves have been consumed as part of the human diet for centuries, whereas 'mushroom nutriceuticals' is a more recently adopted term describing mushroom-derived products taken as dietary supplements to enhance general health and fitness. Read More

Adv Biochem Eng Biotechnol 2022 Feb 23. Epub 2022 Feb 23.

CAS Key Laboratory of Green Process and Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.

Medicinal mushrooms are higher fungi that consist of ascomycetes, basidiomycetes, and imperfect fungi. They have been long used as tonic and traditional medicine in East Asia, Europe, and Africa. Contemporary pharmacological researches have revealed that they possess a wide spectrum of bioactivity due to their production of a variety of bioactive compounds. Read More

Adv Biochem Eng Biotechnol 2022 Jan 29. Epub 2022 Jan 29.

Sartorius Corporate Research, Sartorius Stedim Biotech GmbH, Göttingen, Germany.

The interaction of the human user with equipment and software is a central aspect of the work in the life science laboratory. The enhancement of the usability and intuition of software and hardware products, as well as holistic interaction solutions are a demand from all stakeholders in the scientific laboratory who desire more efficient workflows. Shorter training periods, parallelization of workflows, improved data integrity, and enhanced safety are only a few advantages innovative intuitive human-device-interfaces can bring. Read More

Adv Biochem Eng Biotechnol 2022 Jan 29. Epub 2022 Jan 29.

Institut für Energie- und Umwelttechnik e.V. (IUTA, Institute of Energy and Environmental Technology), Duisburg, Germany.

In order to ensure a high level of product quality and safety, regular quality controls are mandatory, especially in the pharmaceutical industry. These quality controls are strictly regulated and require a high level of documentation. With the goal of complete traceability, these regulations are constantly being tightened, while a majority of laboratories are working still completely paper-based. Read More

Adv Biochem Eng Biotechnol 2022 Jan 29. Epub 2022 Jan 29.

Technische Informationsbibliothek, Hannover, Germany.

In this chapter the concept of research data management is highlighted in the context of the data publication and data infrastructures. One focus of this contribution lies on the topics of metadata and the FAIR data principles associated with data sharing and data infrastructures such as data repositories. The challenges for researchers and research communities towards open science are discussed and the first steps towards FAIR data infrastructures are illustrated. Read More

Adv Biochem Eng Biotechnol 2022 Jan 29. Epub 2022 Jan 29.

Biofuels Institute, School of Environment and Safety Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, China.

Microbial CO upgrading featured with mild operating condition and low energy consumption is one of the preferred choices with the goal of carbon-neutral economy. Some innovative biotechnology platforms based on those microorganisms having characteristic of taking up extracellular electrons are being developed to accomplish the CO-to-chemical/fuel conversion, especially microbial electrosynthesis (MES) and artificial photosynthetic biohybrid system (PBS). The MES wherein microbial catalysts are capable of converting CO into value-added biochemicals and biofuels by directly utilizing an electrode (cathode) as the sole electron donor with high energy efficiency has attracted widespread attention since its inception 10 years ago. Read More

Adv Biochem Eng Biotechnol 2021 Dec 12. Epub 2021 Dec 12.

Microbial Biotechnology, Campus Straubing for Biotechnology and Sustainability, Technical University of Munich, Straubing, Germany.

Aerobic carboxydotrophic bacteria are a group of microorganisms which possess the unique trait to oxidize carbon monoxide (CO) as sole energy source with molecular oxygen (O) to produce carbon dioxide (CO) which subsequently is used for biomass formation via the Calvin-Benson-Bassham cycle. Moreover, most carboxydotrophs are also able to oxidize hydrogen (H) with hydrogenases to drive the reduction of carbon dioxide in the absence of CO. As several abundant industrial off-gases contain significant amounts of CO, CO, H as well as O, these bacteria come into focus for industrial application to produce chemicals and fuels from such gases in gas fermentation approaches. Read More

Adv Biochem Eng Biotechnol 2021 Nov 23. Epub 2021 Nov 23.

Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands.

Syngas, a gaseous mixture of CO, H and CO, can be produced by gasification of carbon-containing materials, including organic waste materials or lignocellulosic biomass. The conversion of bio-based syngas to chemicals is foreseen as an important process in circular bioeconomy. Carbon monoxide is also produced as a waste gas in many industrial sectors (e. Read More

Adv Biochem Eng Biotechnol 2021 Nov 11. Epub 2021 Nov 11.

Department of Biotechnology and Food Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway.

Methanol is a reduced one-carbon (C1) compound. It supports growth of aerobic methylotrophs that gain ATP from reduced redox equivalents by respiratory phosphorylation in their electron transport chains. Notably, linear oxidation of methanol to carbon dioxide may yield three reduced redox equivalents if methanol oxidation is NAD-dependent as, e. Read More

Adv Biochem Eng Biotechnol 2021 Sep 21. Epub 2021 Sep 21.

State Key Laboratory of Materials-Oriented Chemical Engineering, College of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China.

As an important building block in the chemical industry, methanol has become an attractive substrate in biorefinery owing to its abundance and low cost. With the development of synthetic biology, metabolic engineering of non-methylotrophy to construct synthetic methylotrophy has drawn increased attention. As for the metabolic construction of methanol assimilation pathway in some industrial hosts, several artificial methanol assimilation pathways have recently been designed and constructed based on the computer-aided design. Read More

Adv Biochem Eng Biotechnol 2021 Sep 14. Epub 2021 Sep 14.

Institute of Process Engineering in Life Sciences II: Technical Biology, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Karlsruhe, Germany.

Glycolipids are biodegradable, non-toxic surfactants with a wide range of applications. Enzymatic esterification or transesterification facilitated in reaction media of low water activity is a reaction strategy for the production of tailor-made glycolipids as a high structural diversity can be achieved. Organic solvents, ionic liquids, and deep eutectic solvents have been applied as reaction media. Read More

Adv Biochem Eng Biotechnol 2021 Sep 14. Epub 2021 Sep 14.

Institute for Microbial Biotechnology and Metagenomics, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa.

The isolation and screening of bacteria and fungi for the production of surface-active compounds has been the basis for the majority of the biosurfactants discovered to date. Hence, a wide variety of well-established and relatively simple methods are available for screening, mostly focused on the detection of surface or interfacial activity of the culture supernatant. However, the success of any biodiscovery effort, specifically aiming to access novelty, relies directly on the characteristics being screened for and the uniqueness of the microorganisms being screened. Read More

Adv Biochem Eng Biotechnol 2021 Sep 14. Epub 2021 Sep 14.

Technische Hochschule Mittelhessen, Institute of Bioprocess Engineering and Pharmaceutical Technology, Gießen, Germany.

The idea to somehow combine electrical current and biological systems is not new. It was subject of research as well as of science fiction literature for decades. Nowadays, in times of limited resources and the need to capture greenhouse gases like CO, this combination gains increasing interest, since it might allow to use C1 compounds and highly oxidized compounds as substrate for microbial production by "activating" them with additional electrons. Read More