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Advances in Microbial Biotechnology
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Advances in Microbial Biotechnology

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Applied Microbiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 April 2026 | Viewed by 1223

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Carina Félix

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
MARE—Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, ESTM, Instituto Politécnico de Leiria, 2520-641 Peniche, Portugal
Interests: biotechnology; marine resource valorization; microbiology; genomics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Ovidiu Vrancianu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. DANUBIUS Department, National Institute of Research and Development for Biological Sciences, 296 Splaiul Independentei, District 6, 060031 Bucharest, Romania
2. Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Research Institute of the University of Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania
Interests: antimicrobial resistance; diagnostic microbiology; hospital-acquired infections; antibiotic stewardship; novel antimicrobial agents; microbiome
Dr. Robert Marian Ruginescu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor Assistant
Institute of Biology Bucharest of the Romanian Academy, 060031 Bucharest, Romania
Interests: marine microorganisms; extremophiles; hydrolytic enzymes; antimicrobials; biosensors; mural paintings biocleaning; biotechnology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Microbial biotechnology is a dynamic and interdisciplinary field that harnesses microorganisms' impressive metabolic and genetic diversity for a wide range of applications across industry, medicine, and environmental management. Numerous well-established and emerging industrial biotechnologies use the unique properties of microorganisms to produce a diverse array of value-added chemicals, such as enzymes, alcohols, antimicrobial and anticancer compounds, bioplastics, and biofuels. In addition, microorganisms play an important role in environmental remediation, facilitating the degradation of various pollutants, including oil, heavy metals, and pesticides. They also offer sustainable solutions in mining by extracting valuable metals from ores or mine waste. Beyond these applications, the development of microbial-based biosensors has enabled the detection of a wide range of analytes, expanding the possibilities for environmental monitoring and other applications.

Given the extensive potential of microorganisms, this Special Issue aims to highlight cutting-edge research and advancements in microbial biotechnology. We invite original research articles and review papers that cover a wide range of topics within this field. Some of the areas of interest include, but are not limited to:

  • The production of value-added chemicals using microorganisms;
  • Microbial applications in bioremediation and waste treatment;
  • The development and application of microbial-based biosensors;
  • Exploration of microbial communities and their biotechnological potential;
  • Advances in microbial fermentation technologies;
  • Biocleaning technologies for cultural heritage;
  • Innovations in microbial metabolic engineering;
  • The application of microorganisms in sustainable agriculture;
  • Exploration of microbial secondary metabolites as novel drug candidates;
  • Metagenomics and metabolomics in the discovery of new microbial-derived drugs.

Dr. Carina Félix
Dr. Ovidiu Vrancianu
Guest Editors

Dr. Robert Marian Ruginescu
Guest Editor Assistant

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • microbial biotechnology
  • biosynthesis
  • value-added chemicals
  • enzymes
  • antimicrobials
  • biodegradation
  • bioremediation
  • bioleaching
  • biotechnological potential
  • bioprospecting

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 1389 KB  
Article
Optimizing Bioremediation of β-Blockers: Cometabolic Transformation of Propranolol and Metoprolol by Raoultella terrigena BB2 and Stenotrophomonas terrae BB3
by Anna Dzionek, Cansel Taskin and Piotr Siupka
Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(22), 12052; https://doi.org/10.3390/app152212052 - 13 Nov 2025
Viewed by 286
Abstract
β-blockers are among the most widely prescribed cardiovascular drugs and are increasingly recognised as emerging pollutants due to their persistence, continuous release into aquatic environments, and potential toxicological effects on aquatic organisms. Their removal in conventional wastewater treatment plants is often inefficient, highlighting [...] Read more.
β-blockers are among the most widely prescribed cardiovascular drugs and are increasingly recognised as emerging pollutants due to their persistence, continuous release into aquatic environments, and potential toxicological effects on aquatic organisms. Their removal in conventional wastewater treatment plants is often inefficient, highlighting the need for biological remediation strategies. This study aimed to identify bacterial strains with the highest potential for the biotransformation of β-blockers. Therefore, we isolated and characterised bacterial strains capable of transforming two commonly used β-blockers—propranolol and metoprolol. The strains BB2 and BB3, which were able to transform propranolol and metoprolol, respectively, were identified as Raoultella terrigena and Stenotrophomonas terrae, respectively. BB2 showed broad metabolic versatility, utilising a wide range of carbon sources, whereas BB3 exhibited limited substrate utilisation. Antibiotic resistance profiling further distinguished the strains, with BB2 resistant across multiple antibiotic classes and BB3 largely sensitive. Co-metabolic assays demonstrated that supplementation with specific carbon and nitrogen sources markedly enhanced β-blocker removal, increasing propranolol biotransformation from 5% to 50% and metoprolol from 4% to 36%. These findings demonstrate the bioremediation potential of newly isolated strains and emphasise the importance of aligning microbial metabolic traits with nutrient conditions to improve pharmaceutical removal in wastewater treatment systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Microbial Biotechnology)
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Review

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25 pages, 955 KB  
Review
Biomass of Microalgae and Other Phototrophic Microorganisms: Current Trends in Regulation of Its Accumulation and Application of Immobilized Forms
by Elena Efremenko, Olga Senko, Kamella Teplova and Aysel Aslanli
Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(23), 12775; https://doi.org/10.3390/app152312775 - 2 Dec 2025
Viewed by 99
Abstract
The current interest in microalgal biomass does not subside but continues to intensify due to the emergence of new trends in the use of this bioresource in various biotechnological and environmental processes. The rather slow growth rate of phototrophs compared to other microorganisms [...] Read more.
The current interest in microalgal biomass does not subside but continues to intensify due to the emergence of new trends in the use of this bioresource in various biotechnological and environmental processes. The rather slow growth rate of phototrophs compared to other microorganisms limits more active application of the biomass for various purposes. Stimulation of the Quorum Sensing formation in the cells due to the appearance of their own quorum molecules or those produced by other co-cultured microorganisms in the medium is one of the efficient approaches for overcoming this limitation. This review discusses the immobilization or co-immobilization of phototrophic cells with other microorganisms as an effective way to maintain accumulation of the target biomass for long-term period at improved rates. The 40% increase in the use of co-immobilized phototrophs for biomass obtaining and its use in wastewater treatment has been observed over the past five years. The level of investigations of co-immobilized microalgae cells is four times higher than that of the immobilized single cultures. Among the main trends in the new investigations of immobilized forms of microalgae, the predominant application of Chlorella genus cells in immobilized samples of individual cultures and the involvement of diatom microalgae and cyanobacteria, in addition to Chlorella cells, in co-immobilization with other microorganisms, was ascertained. The most significant increase in the rate of microalgal biomass accumulation uncovered in cases of co-immobilization of microalgae with bacteria. In several cases, in the presence of bacteria, co-immobilization has led to the emergence of new characteristics in microalgal cells (increased synthesis of pigments, polysaccharides, biofilm formation, etc.), which opens new directions for their further practical use as biopesticides, components of packaging and building materials, etc. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Microbial Biotechnology)
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