Microbial protein as an alternative protein source enabling circular bioeconomy (original) (raw)
Emergent Proteins-Based Structures—Prospects towards Sustainable Nutrition and Functionality
Gels, 2021
The increased pressure over soils imposed by the need for agricultural expansion and food production requires development of sustainable and smart strategies for the efficient use of resources and food nutrients. In accordance with worldwide transformative polices, it is crucial to design sustainable systems for food production aimed at reducing environmental impact, contributing to biodiversity preservation, and leveraging a bioeconomy that supports circular byproduct management. Research on the use of emergent protein sources to develop value-added foods and biomaterials is in its infancy. This review intends to summarize recent research dealing with technological functionality of underused protein fractions, recovered from microbial biomass and food waste sources, addressing their potential applications but also bottlenecks. Protein-based materials from dairy byproducts and microalgae biomass gather promising prospects of use related to their techno-functional properties. However...
Producing microbial-based protein from reactive nitrogen recovered from wastewater
Resource Recovery from Water
Recent estimates of the UN indicate that the global population will grow to 9-10 billion people by the year 2050 (United Nations, 2015). For physical and mental health, it is important that on average each person can consume some 0.66 g protein/kg body weight per day (World Health Organization, 2002). The current route to provide this protein is mainly through agricultural plant production, using massive amounts of mineral nitrogen fertilizer fabricated by means of the Haber-Bosch process (Bodirsky et al., 2014). This mineral nitrogen is generated as ammonium and may be converted to nitrate prior to use. These forms of reactive nitrogen are, when applied to the soil as fertilizer, taken up by the plants to produce plant proteins. The plant proteins can be directly used as food for the human population, but are, to a large extent, used as feed to produce animal protein. In the latter case, approximately 4% of the Haber-Bosch nitrogen is ultimately consumed as high-value animal proteins. The overall nitrogen efficiency for plant proteins for human consumption is substantially higher, albeit still low, with an efficiency of 14% (Galloway & Cowling, 2002). At present, the need for animal (and hence vegetable) protein containing essential amino acids is increasing because a growing part of the world desires to, and can afford to, consume more protein products and higher quality protein products (Bodirsky et al., 2015; Godfray et al., 2010). The current major supply routes for high quality protein are agri-crops (for about 50% of food protein inputs, particularly wheat, rice and pulses such as soy beans), animal proteins based on agri-crops (another 40%) and finally fish (some 5-10%). These routes are facing limitations. Limitations of the agri-crop route include the massive amount of nitrogen fertilizer used worldwide, that is ∼100 Mton of nitrogen fertilizer, and this is expected to increase to about 150 Mton of by 2050. Indeed the Haber-Bosch process consumes about 1-2% of the total world industrial energy (Erisman et al., 2008) and moreoverdue to the fact that agriculture is subjected to losses by leaching, runoff and denitrification-nitrogen pollution is of major environmental concern (
Microbial Expression Systems and Manufacturing from a Market and Economic Perspective
Innovations in Biotechnology, 2012
These high expectations are merited due for 4 reasons: www.intechopen.com Innovations in Biotechnology 212 1. The unmatched precision in the production and assembly of small and large molecules. This precision of the natural biosynthetic machinery cannot be reached using chemical approaches. 2. The fantastic speed, at which these production systems can reproduce themselves. The reason for this is that bacteria have by far the largest surface-to-volume ratio in the living world, leading to maximal metabolic rates. A single bacterium, weighing about 10-12 grams, grows so fast that its biomass would theoretically reach the mass of the earth in only a few days! 3. The inherent safety of biological systems as metabolic heat makes runaway reactions impossible, when compared to organic chemistry. 4. The biocatalyst and biomass are fully recyclable. Consequently, biotechnology will have an especially high impact in the production of complex chemicals used for pharmaceuticals, fine chemicals and specialities (Meyer, 2011). Other promising areas are biopolymers and protein-based novel biomaterials for consumer goods, car parts, medical devices or as support for the 2D and 3D cultivation of tissue and organ replacements. www.intechopen.com Microbial Expression Systems and Manufacturing from a Market and Economic Perspective 213 industrial biotechnology in 2020, which translates into almost 1000 billion Euros. This means that the sales generated by industrial biotechnology will increase by an order of magnitude as the recent estimates of the global sales of industrial biotechnology products vary between 50 and 150 billon Euros, depending on whether biofuels are included or not. There is a consensus that biotechnology will play a much greater role in future manufacturing as it can deliver complex products using economically and ecologically sustainable processes.
Role of novel protein sources in sustainably meeting future global requirements
Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, 2021
Global population growth, increased life expectancy and climate change are all impacting world's food systems. In industrialised countries, many individuals are consuming significantly more protein than needed to maintain health, with the majority being obtained from animal products, including meat, dairy, fish and other aquatic animals. Current animal production systems are responsible for a large proportion of land and fresh-water use, and directly contributing to climate change through the production of greenhouse gases. Overall, approximately 60% of the global protein produced is used for animal and fish feed. Concerns about their impact on both human, and planetary health, have led to calls to dramatically curb our consumption of animal products. Underutilised plants, insects and single-cell organisms are all actively being considered as alternative protein sources. Each present challenges that need to be met before they can become economically viable and safe alternatives ...
Toward a Resilient Future: The Promise of Microbial Bioeconomy
Sustainability
Naturally occurring resources, such as water, energy, minerals, and rare earth elements, are limited in availability, yet they are essential components for the survival and development of all life. The pressure on these finite resources is anthropogenic, arising from misuse, overuse, and overdependence, which causes a loss of biodiversity and climate change and poses great challenges to sustainable development. The focal points and principles of the bioeconomy border around ensuring the constant availability of these natural resources for both present and future generations. The rapid growth of the microbial bioeconomy is promising for the purpose of fostering a resilient and sustainable future. This highlights the economic opportunity of using microbial-based resources to substitute fossil fuels in novel products, processes, and services. The subsequent discussion delves into the essential principles required for implementing the microbial bioeconomy. There is a further exploration...
Knowledge in microbiology is growing exponentially through the determination of genomic sequences of hundreds of microorganisms and the invention of new technologies, such as genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics, to deal with this avalanche of information. These genomic data are now exploited in thousands of applications, ranging from medicine, agriculture, organic chemistry, public health, and biomass conversion, to biomining. Microbial Biotechnology focuses on uses of major societal importance, enabling an in-depth analysis of these critically important applications. Some, such as wastewater treatment, have changed only modestly over time; others, such as directed molecular evolution, or "green" chemistry, are as current as today's headlines. This fully revised second edition provides an exciting interdisciplinary journey through the rapidly changing landscape of discovery in microbial biotechnology. An ideal text for courses in applied microbiology and biotechnology, this book will also serve as an invaluable overview of recent advances in this field for professional life scientists and for the diverse community of other professionals with interests in biotechnology.
Biotechnology: employing organism as bioreactors
2015
Biological products, especially proteins, have numerous applications including prevention, diagnosis, and treating diseases. Advances in biotechnology in recent years have opened up many ways to manufacture these products in large scales. To engineer biopharmaceuticals, often pro and/or eukaryotic sustainable resources are used. Selection of the cellular factory depends on the type and application of protein needed. In this review, we explore current resources used to produce biologics, examine these resources critically for their biological output, and finally highlight impact of using sustainable resources in modern medicine
Perspectives on Future Protein Production
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
An increasing world population, rising affluence, urbanization, and changing eating habits are all contributing to the diversification of protein production. Protein is a building block of life and is an essential part of a healthy diet, providing amino acids for growth and repair. The challenges and opportunities for production of protein-rich foods from animals (meat, dairy, and aquaculture), plant-based sources (pulses), and emerging protein sources (insects, yeast, and microalgae) are discussed against the backdrop of palatability, nutrition, and sustainability.