Feeding a growing global population requires rethinking our systems of food production, processing, and distribution. For the past decades, diets have simultaneously become less nutritionally balanced and significantly contributed to the decrease in biodiversity, whereas the wastes resulting from the food industry have had a significant impact on the environment.
As an alternative to conventional food sources, edible microbial biomass is a promising technology to prevent environmental destruction promoted by increases in food demand. Microorganisms such as bacteria, yeasts, fungi, and microalgae present important advantageous properties, namely rapid growth and production rates, which are independent from geographical conditions. Several microorganisms may be used as a rich source of proteins and specific lipids, such as omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, among other important nutrients. Additionally, microbial biomass can also be used to produce environmentally friendly biopolymers to be used in smart packaging (thus reducing losses in perishable foods)or can be engineered to provide valuable molecules in a more sustainable way, enabling a range of new product developments. Ultimately, due to its production under controlled conditions, by-products generated during microbial production can be valorised through extraction of the remaining valuable compounds.
Although scientific and technological research on the aforementioned topics has been providing several proofs-of-concept applied in industry, there are still many hurdles to ensure economic and eco-friendly production of microbial biomass towards a sustainable food system.
This Topic Research aims to be a platform to disseminate the most recent and innovative research findings in this area, thus filling the knowledge gap. We welcome the submission of manuscripts (Original Research, Review, Mini Review and Perspective articles) that address advances in themes including but not limited to:
• Novel production technologies (within bacteria, yeasts, fungi or microalgae), either with conventional or synthetic biology, targeting the attainment of compounds for food industry (nutrients, functional or bioactive ingredients, biopolymers for packaging). Described developments may concern fermentation strategies, bioreactor design, process modelling and optimization, among others;
• Improved downstream processing approaches as one of the key economic parameters in microbial biomass production, including the use of green solvents and technologies;
• Sustainability analysis of processes (including Life Cycle Assessment - LCA - or other sustainability metrics);
• New insights into physicochemical, techno-functional and nutritional properties of the target products;
• Microbial by-products valorisation, including novel technologies for extraction and purification processes.
Feeding a growing global population requires rethinking our systems of food production, processing, and distribution. For the past decades, diets have simultaneously become less nutritionally balanced and significantly contributed to the decrease in biodiversity, whereas the wastes resulting from the food industry have had a significant impact on the environment.
As an alternative to conventional food sources, edible microbial biomass is a promising technology to prevent environmental destruction promoted by increases in food demand. Microorganisms such as bacteria, yeasts, fungi, and microalgae present important advantageous properties, namely rapid growth and production rates, which are independent from geographical conditions. Several microorganisms may be used as a rich source of proteins and specific lipids, such as omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, among other important nutrients. Additionally, microbial biomass can also be used to produce environmentally friendly biopolymers to be used in smart packaging (thus reducing losses in perishable foods)or can be engineered to provide valuable molecules in a more sustainable way, enabling a range of new product developments. Ultimately, due to its production under controlled conditions, by-products generated during microbial production can be valorised through extraction of the remaining valuable compounds.
Although scientific and technological research on the aforementioned topics has been providing several proofs-of-concept applied in industry, there are still many hurdles to ensure economic and eco-friendly production of microbial biomass towards a sustainable food system.
This Topic Research aims to be a platform to disseminate the most recent and innovative research findings in this area, thus filling the knowledge gap. We welcome the submission of manuscripts (Original Research, Review, Mini Review and Perspective articles) that address advances in themes including but not limited to:
• Novel production technologies (within bacteria, yeasts, fungi or microalgae), either with conventional or synthetic biology, targeting the attainment of compounds for food industry (nutrients, functional or bioactive ingredients, biopolymers for packaging). Described developments may concern fermentation strategies, bioreactor design, process modelling and optimization, among others;
• Improved downstream processing approaches as one of the key economic parameters in microbial biomass production, including the use of green solvents and technologies;
• Sustainability analysis of processes (including Life Cycle Assessment - LCA - or other sustainability metrics);
• New insights into physicochemical, techno-functional and nutritional properties of the target products;
• Microbial by-products valorisation, including novel technologies for extraction and purification processes.
