Microbial Technology: Advances and Challenges

• Published in: Advances in Food Bioproducts and Bioprocessing Technologies pp. 3 - 24
• Main Authors: Aguilar, Cristóbal N., Hernández-Almanza, Ayerim, Sabu, Abdulhameed, Loredo, Araceli, Sudhakaran, Sudheesh, Davila-Medina, Desiree, Morales-Martínez, Thelma K., Sepúlveda-Torre, Leonardo, Sugathan, Shiburaj, Teixeira, José A.
• Format: Book Chapter
• Language: English
• Published: CRC Press 2020
• Edition: 1
• Subjects: Fermentation Process; Tannase Production; challenges; Solid State Fermentation; Low Digestible Carbohydrates; Maximum Xylanase Production; Cytosolic Phospholipase A2; Microbial Inoculants; Simultaneous Saccharification; Potato Peel Waste; Alginate Lyase; Ligninolytic Enzyme Production; Extruded Linseed; Inulinase Producer; microbial technology; Tannase; advances; Omega-3 PUFA; Aryl Alcohol Oxidase; Wheat Bran; Moisture Content; Bacillus Subtilis Natto; Fermentation Technologies
• ISBN: 1138544221; 9781138544222
• DOI: 10.1201/9780429331817-1

The exceptional and original features of microorganisms and their natural and biosynthetic capacities make them the ideal technology to solve many of the difficult problems today. They have a role in both scientific research and other fields of exploration, particularly when they work under certain specific environmental and cultural conditions. Over last seven decades, the use of beneficial microorganisms has contributed significantly to the advancement of several fields, including food fermentation, biomedicine, environmental protection, bioenergy, modern agriculture, and the efficient treatment of agricultural and urban waste. Many of these technological advances would not have been possible through the use of simple methods of chemical and physical engineering and, if they had occurred, these developments would not have been practical or economically viable. Even though the application of microbial technologies in recent years has successfully solved various agricultural and environmental problems, the scientific community has not accepted them due to the difficulties of reproducibility of the expected results. Microbial technology is only effective when applied under optimal culture conditions for production of the specific metabolites. Yet the provision in the market for microbial inoculants has increased rapidly due to these new technologies. Most important advances have emerged in areas where the microbial technology is efficiently supported by the marketing of produced metabolites. A great opportunity for microbial technology is the substitution of biopesticides, which are being widely used in modern organic agriculture, for the use of fertilizers and chemical pesticides. This chapter describes the general principles, advances, and challenges of microbial technology, placing emphasis on culture selection, laboratory assays, instrumentation, process control, product recovery, reuse of biocatalysts, bioeconomic trends, patents, and fermentation processes for the agricultural, food, pharmaceutical, soft chemistry, energy, and environmental sectors. Microorganisms are the basis of life on the Earth. Fossil microorganisms 3.3 to 3.5 billion years old have been found. Like all other life forms, microbes contain DNA and RNA; also, they can produce the required enzymes to hydrolyze polysaccharides, proteins, and lipids needed for recycling. The diversity of microbial metabolism allows the use of different forms of matter and energy, including small inorganic molecules and organic polymeric compounds. In Mexico, intellectual property and the registration of products and brands are, unfortunately, very low compared to developed countries such as China, Japan, or the United States. Abiotic/biotic stresses impact the productivity of principal crops, and this is being witnessed all over the world. Extreme conditions like intense rains and flooding, heat waves, prolonged droughts, and frost damage are likely to further increase in the near future due to climatic change. The demand for pharmaceutical products is increasing on a daily basis.