Among the biotechnological research aiming to improve human health benefits one important topic is the development of new techniques for obtaining bioactive molecules for pharmaceutical, cosmeceutical, and nutraceutical fields. Biotechnological processes offer several advantages over chemical synthesis and classical extractive technologies including low solvent toxicity, environmental impact, and high selectivity. In this context, in order to improve the cost-effectiveness of the processes, synthetic cultivation media can be replaced with complex media by taking advantage of the up-cycling of agro-industrial by-products. Upcycling is a viable strategy for implementing the circular economy and counteracts the idea that waste has no value once it is disposed of or must be destroyed. In fact, from the perspective of the circular economy, agro-food-industrial by-products can become a secondary resource to be exploited for the production of bioactive molecules through fermentations, or as substrates for the growth of microorganisms in the field of biotransformation.
This research topic focuses on advances in the use of by-products from the agro-food-industry for the biotechnological production of bioactive molecules for pharmaceutical, cosmeceutical, and nutraceutical applications by fermentation or biotransformation with whole cells or isolated enzymes. The main objective is to provide new application examples on different types of biomasses that have been neglected to date and/or to provide new solutions in the bioprocessing of well-known biomasses.
This research topic aims to collect various strategies for the valorization, through biotechnological techniques, of agro-food-industrial waste. Original research, reviews, or mini-reviews reporting promising recent and future research trends in this field are welcome. Potential topics include, but are not limited to:
Use of by-products as substitutes or sources of refined substrates in the biotechnological synthesis of:
- pharmaceutical compounds,
- nutraceutical compounds.
Keywords: Biotechnology, Up-cycling, Bioactive molecules, Agri-food industry, Fermentation, Biotransformation, Biotechnological synthesis.
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