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Bioengineering
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Bioengineering—Selected Papers from ESBP 2019 (10th European Symposium on...
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Bioengineering—Selected Papers from ESBP 2019 (10th European Symposium on Biopolymers)

A special issue of Bioengineering (ISSN 2306-5354).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 January 2020) | Viewed by 35995

Special Issue Editor

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Jochen Schmid

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biotechnology and Food Science, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7034 Trondheim, Norway
Interests: biopolymer engineering; synthetic biology; polysaccharide biosynthesis engineering; metabolic engineering

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

For nearly 20 year as a biannual conference, which takes place within a different European country, the ESBP comes back to Germany for its 10th anniversary.

Based on the initiation of outstanding scientists and pioneers in their field, the first ESBP was born in the year 2000 and took place in the beautiful city of Münster. From that time on, it took place in many different countries to connect academic research with innovative future industrial applications. The 10th anniversary of the ESBP reflects the recent development of research and innovation in the field of biopolymers.

Today, new technologies in material processing, and state-of-the art techniques for genetic engineering such as synthetic biology, are bringing novel and innovative materials as well as applications and pushing research on biopolymers towards a new level. Ergo, the focus of the 10th ESBP is still the same as it was in 2000—biopolymer production by a vast number of microbes. It aims to connect young and well-established outstanding researchers with industry to bring innovative and sustainable solutions to the market.

There will be a focus on major research advances, including the following:

  • Molecular basis of biopolymer synthesis and metabolic engineering;
  • Synthetic biology for biopolymer production and biopolymer engineering;
  • Bioreactors and biopolymer production technologies;
  • Downstream processing;
  • Analytics in the field of biopolymers;
  • Biopolymer processing technologies and polymer stability;
  • Biopolymers from non-natural monomers;
  • Applications (including biomedical): biomaterials and biopolymers;
  • Commercialization of biopolymers/market analysis;
  • Life cycle assessment of biopolymer production and uses;
  • Biopolymer and bioplastic degradation, recycling, and environmental fate;
  • Biorefineries: feedstock and production chains;
  •  Other.

This Special Issue is cooperating with the ESBP 2019 conference (www.esbp2019.com). All speakers and registered participants at this conference are invited to submit a manuscript for publication.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Jochen Schmid
Guest Editor

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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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. Bioengineering is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2700 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.

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 6811 KiB  
Article
Preparation and Characterization of Films Based on a Natural P(3HB)/mcl-PHA Blend Obtained through the Co-culture of Cupriavidus Necator and Pseudomonas Citronellolis in Apple Pulp Waste
by Ana Teresa Rebocho, João R. Pereira, Luísa A. Neves, Vítor D. Alves, Chantal Sevrin, Christian Grandfils, Filomena Freitas and Maria A. M. Reis
Bioengineering 2020, 7(2), 34; https://doi.org/10.3390/bioengineering7020034 - 5 Apr 2020
Cited by 61 | Viewed by 8133
Abstract
The co-culture of Cupriavidus necator DSM 428 and Pseudomonas citronellolis NRRL B-2504 was performed using apple pulp waste from the fruit processing industry as the sole carbon source to produce poly(3-hydroxybutyrate), P(3HB) and medium-chain length PHA, mcl-PHA, respectively. The polymers accumulated by both [...] Read more.
The co-culture of Cupriavidus necator DSM 428 and Pseudomonas citronellolis NRRL B-2504 was performed using apple pulp waste from the fruit processing industry as the sole carbon source to produce poly(3-hydroxybutyrate), P(3HB) and medium-chain length PHA, mcl-PHA, respectively. The polymers accumulated by both strains were extracted from the co-culture’s biomass, resulting in a natural blend that was composed of around 48 wt% P(3HB) and 52 wt% mcl-PHA, with an average molecular weight of 4.3 × 105 Da and a polydispersity index of 2.2. Two melting temperatures (Tm) were observed for the blend, 52 and 174 °C, which correspond to the Tm of the mcl-PHA and P(3HB), respectively. P(3HB)/mcl-PHA blend films prepared by the solvent evaporation method had permeabilities to oxygen and carbon dioxide of 2.6 and 32 Barrer, respectively. The films were flexible and easily deformed, as demonstrated by their tensile strength at break of 1.47 ± 0.07 MPa, with a deformation of 338 ± 19% until breaking, associated with a Young modulus of 5.42 ± 1.02 MPa. This study demonstrates for the first time the feasibility of using the co-culture of C. necator and P. citronellolis strains to obtain a natural blend of P(3HB)/mcl-PHA that can be processed into films suitable for applications ranging from commodity packaging products to high-value biomaterials. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioengineering—Selected Papers from ESBP 2019 (10th European Symposium on Biopolymers))
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22 pages, 2633 KiB  
Article
PHA Production and PHA Synthases of the Halophilic Bacterium Halomonas sp. SF2003
by Tatiana Thomas, Kumar Sudesh, Alexis Bazire, Anne Elain, Hua Tiang Tan, Hui Lim and Stéphane Bruzaud
Bioengineering 2020, 7(1), 29; https://doi.org/10.3390/bioengineering7010029 - 20 Mar 2020
Cited by 25 | Viewed by 8015
Abstract
Among the different tools which can be studied and managed to tailor-make polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) and enhance their production, bacterial strain and carbon substrates are essential. The assimilation of carbon sources is dependent on bacterial strain’s metabolism and consequently cannot be dissociated. Both must [...] Read more.
Among the different tools which can be studied and managed to tailor-make polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) and enhance their production, bacterial strain and carbon substrates are essential. The assimilation of carbon sources is dependent on bacterial strain’s metabolism and consequently cannot be dissociated. Both must wisely be studied and well selected to ensure the highest production yield of PHAs. Halomonas sp. SF2003 is a marine bacterium already identified as a PHA-producing strain and especially of poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (P-3HB) and poly-3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate (P-3HB-co-3HV). Previous studies have identified different genes potentially involved in PHA production by Halomonas sp. SF2003, including two phaC genes with atypical characteristics, phaC1 and phaC2. At the same time, an interesting adaptability of the strain in front of various growth conditions was highlighted, making it a good candidate for biotechnological applications. To continue the characterization of Halomonas sp. SF2003, the screening of carbon substrates exploitable for PHA production was performed as well as production tests. Additionally, the functionality of both PHA synthases PhaC1 and PhaC2 was investigated, with an in silico study and the production of transformant strains, in order to confirm and to understand the role of each one on PHA production. The results of this study confirm the adaptability of the strain and its ability to exploit various carbon substrates, in pure or mixed form, for PHA production. Individual expression of PhaC1 and PhaC2 synthases in a non-PHA-producing strain, Cupriavidus necator H16 PHB¯4 (DSM 541), allows obtaining PHA production, demonstrating at the same time, functionality and differences between both PHA synthases. All the results of this study confirm the biotechnological interest in Halomonas sp. SF2003. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioengineering—Selected Papers from ESBP 2019 (10th European Symposium on Biopolymers))
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13 pages, 1937 KiB  
Article
Low Temperature Dissolution of Yeast Chitin-Glucan Complex and Characterization of the Regenerated Polymer
by Diana Araújo, Vítor D. Alves, Ana C. Marques, Elvira Fortunato, Maria A. M. Reis and Filomena Freitas
Bioengineering 2020, 7(1), 28; https://doi.org/10.3390/bioengineering7010028 - 14 Mar 2020
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 5319
Abstract
Chitin-glucan complex (CGC) is a copolymer composed of chitin and glucan moieties extracted from the cell-walls of several yeasts and fungi. Despite its proven valuable properties, that include antibacterial, antioxidant and anticancer activity, the utilization of CGC in many applications is hindered by [...] Read more.
Chitin-glucan complex (CGC) is a copolymer composed of chitin and glucan moieties extracted from the cell-walls of several yeasts and fungi. Despite its proven valuable properties, that include antibacterial, antioxidant and anticancer activity, the utilization of CGC in many applications is hindered by its insolubility in water and most solvents. In this study, NaOH/urea solvent systems were used for the first time for solubilization of CGC extracted from the yeast Komagataella pastoris. Different NaOH/urea ratios (6:8, 8:4 and 11:4 (w/w), respectively) were used to obtain aqueous solutions using a freeze/thaw procedure. There was an overall solubilization of 63–68%, with the highest solubilization rate obtained for the highest tested urea concentration (8 wt%). The regenerated polymer, obtained by dialysis of the alkali solutions followed by lyophilization, formed porous macrostructures characterized by a chemical composition similar to that of the starting co-polymer, although the acetylation degree decreased from 61.3% to 33.9–50.6%, indicating that chitin was converted into chitosan, yielding chitosan-glucan complex (ChGC). Consistent with this, there was a reduction of the crystallinity index and thermal degradation temperature. Given these results, this study reports a simple and green procedure to solubilize CGC and obtain aqueous ChGC solutions that can be processed as novel biomaterials. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioengineering—Selected Papers from ESBP 2019 (10th European Symposium on Biopolymers))
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14 pages, 2288 KiB  
Article
Thauera aminoaromatica MZ1T Identified as a Polyhydroxyalkanoate-Producing Bacterium within a Mixed Microbial Consortium
by Dana I. Colpa, Wen Zhou, Jan Pier Wempe, Jelmer Tamis, Marc C. A. Stuart, Janneke Krooneman and Gert-Jan W. Euverink
Bioengineering 2020, 7(1), 19; https://doi.org/10.3390/bioengineering7010019 - 21 Feb 2020
Cited by 21 | Viewed by 6428
Abstract
Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) form a highly promising class of bioplastics for the transition from fossil fuel-based plastics to bio-renewable and biodegradable plastics. Mixed microbial consortia (MMC) are known to be able to produce PHAs from organic waste streams. Knowledge of key-microbes and their characteristics [...] Read more.
Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) form a highly promising class of bioplastics for the transition from fossil fuel-based plastics to bio-renewable and biodegradable plastics. Mixed microbial consortia (MMC) are known to be able to produce PHAs from organic waste streams. Knowledge of key-microbes and their characteristics in PHA-producing consortia is necessary for further process optimization and direction towards synthesis of specific types of PHAs. In this study, a PHA-producing mixed microbial consortium (MMC) from an industrial pilot plant was characterized and further enriched on acetate in a laboratory-scale selector with a working volume of 5 L. 16S-rDNA microbiological population analysis of both the industrial pilot plant and the 5 L selector revealed that the most dominant species within the population is Thauera aminoaromatica MZ1T, a Gram-negative beta-proteobacterium belonging to the order of the Rhodocyclales. The relative abundance of this Thauera species increased from 24 to 40% after two months of enrichment in the selector-system, indicating a competitive advantage, possibly due to the storage of a reserve material such as PHA. First experiments with T. aminoaromatica MZ1T showed multiple intracellular granules when grown in pure culture on a growth medium with a C:N ratio of 10:1 and acetate as a carbon source. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analyses upon extraction of PHA from the pure culture confirmed polyhydroxybutyrate production by T. aminoaromatica MZ1T. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioengineering—Selected Papers from ESBP 2019 (10th European Symposium on Biopolymers))
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13 pages, 1776 KiB  
Article
Co-Networks Poly(hydroxyalkanoates)-Terpenes to Enhance Antibacterial Properties
by Tina Modjinou, Davy Louis Versace, Samir Abbad Andaloussi, Valérie Langlois and Estelle Renard
Bioengineering 2020, 7(1), 13; https://doi.org/10.3390/bioengineering7010013 - 21 Jan 2020
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 4984
Abstract
Biocompatible and biodegradable bacterial polyesters, poly(hydroxyalkanoates) (PHAs), were combined with linalool, a well-known monoterpene, extracted from spice plants to design novel antibacterial materials. Their chemical association by a photo-induced thiol-ene reaction provided materials having both high mechanical resistance and flexibility. The influence of [...] Read more.
Biocompatible and biodegradable bacterial polyesters, poly(hydroxyalkanoates) (PHAs), were combined with linalool, a well-known monoterpene, extracted from spice plants to design novel antibacterial materials. Their chemical association by a photo-induced thiol-ene reaction provided materials having both high mechanical resistance and flexibility. The influence of the nature of the crosslinking agent and the weight ratio of linalool on the thermo-mechanical performances were carefully evaluated. The elongation at break increases from 7% for the native PHA to 40% for PHA–linalool co-networks using a tetrafunctional cross-linking agent. The materials highlighted tremendous anti-adherence properties against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus by increasing linalool ratios. A significant decrease in antibacterial adhesion of 63% and 82% was observed for E. coli and S. aureus, respectively. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioengineering—Selected Papers from ESBP 2019 (10th European Symposium on Biopolymers))
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