Microorganisms produce lipids and oils for their essential structural and functional roles. However, only a relatively small number of microorganisms can accumulate cellular lipids up to 20-65% of their dry biomass – these are named oleaginous microorganisms.
The main oleaginous microorganism includes fungi, yeasts, and microalgae. Different environmental factors can significantly affect the physiology and biochemistry of lipid accumulation, such as temperature, light, pH, and nutritional composition of culture media. Furthermore, microbial lipid production does not depend on geographic or climatic constraints, can rely on diverse carbon sources including agriculture and industrial wastes, and results in high yield.
Over the past several years, unremitting efforts have been made to improve the economic competitiveness of microbial lipids over animal and plant-derived lipids, with several engineering approaches having also been developed to enhance the lipid production capabilities of microorganisms. Researchers are invited to submit to this Research Topic original research and review articles focusing on:
1.) Advances in Molecular biology and biochemistry of lipid accumulation in microorganisms.
2.) Different fermentation strategies to attain high biomass and lipid yield.
3.) Metabolic engineering of microorganisms for bioproducts.
4.) Co-production of lipids with other secondary metabolites and their properties, such as anti-microbial, anti-cancerous, etc.
5). Use of oleaginous organisms to transform lipids into a variety of products including high-value fatty acids, neutral lipids, and volatile fatty acids.
6.) Applications of microbial lipids in food and nutraceutical industries.
This Research Topic aims to collect publications relevant to human nutrition only. Studies on farm animals, other than animal models for human nutrition, will not be accepted in this Research Topic and will be redirected to other relevant Frontiers journals.
Microorganisms produce lipids and oils for their essential structural and functional roles. However, only a relatively small number of microorganisms can accumulate cellular lipids up to 20-65% of their dry biomass – these are named oleaginous microorganisms.
The main oleaginous microorganism includes fungi, yeasts, and microalgae. Different environmental factors can significantly affect the physiology and biochemistry of lipid accumulation, such as temperature, light, pH, and nutritional composition of culture media. Furthermore, microbial lipid production does not depend on geographic or climatic constraints, can rely on diverse carbon sources including agriculture and industrial wastes, and results in high yield.
Over the past several years, unremitting efforts have been made to improve the economic competitiveness of microbial lipids over animal and plant-derived lipids, with several engineering approaches having also been developed to enhance the lipid production capabilities of microorganisms. Researchers are invited to submit to this Research Topic original research and review articles focusing on:
1.) Advances in Molecular biology and biochemistry of lipid accumulation in microorganisms.
2.) Different fermentation strategies to attain high biomass and lipid yield.
3.) Metabolic engineering of microorganisms for bioproducts.
4.) Co-production of lipids with other secondary metabolites and their properties, such as anti-microbial, anti-cancerous, etc.
5). Use of oleaginous organisms to transform lipids into a variety of products including high-value fatty acids, neutral lipids, and volatile fatty acids.
6.) Applications of microbial lipids in food and nutraceutical industries.
This Research Topic aims to collect publications relevant to human nutrition only. Studies on farm animals, other than animal models for human nutrition, will not be accepted in this Research Topic and will be redirected to other relevant Frontiers journals.
