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Fermentation
Special Issues
Fermentation Processes and Product Development
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Fermentation Processes and Product Development

A special issue of Fermentation (ISSN 2311-5637). This special issue belongs to the section "Fermentation Process Design".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2026 | Viewed by 3026

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Mateusz Wojtusik

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Guest Editor
Faculty of Experimental Sciences, Universidad Francisco de Vitoria, 28223 Madrid, Spain
Interests: agricultural engineering; chemical; industrial; environmental

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The depletion of fossil resources, rising energy security concerns, and increasingly stringent environmental regulations have renewed interest in the development and industrial application of advanced fermentation technologies, such as the sustainable production of biofuels, bioplastics, functional foods and microbial proteins from renewable resources through the valorisation of biomass and waste streams. These biotechnological platforms hold significant potential in addressing current societal and environmental challenges by enabling the transition from pollutant- and waste-intensive operations to circular and sustainable bio-based systems. They also facilitate the valorisation of underexploited biomass streams and the expansion of renewable product portfolios.

To accelerate the transition towards a bio-based economy, it is essential to promote not only the discovery of novel fermentation strategies but also their industrial integration through scale-up, process intensification, and optimisation under real-world operating conditions. Overcoming technical and economic barriers remains a key objective in enabling the broader adoption of these technologies at a commercial scale.

This Special Issue aims to compile original research articles and comprehensive reviews related to innovative fermentation processes and bio-based product development, with particular emphasis placed on their future industrial implementation and environmental benefits. Authors interested in submitting a review article are encouraged to contact the Guest Editors to discuss the proposed topic prior to submission.

Dr. Mateusz Wojtusik
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 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. Fermentation 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 2100 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

  • fermentation technologies
  • bioprocess intensification
  • sustainable biomanufacturing
  • scale-up strategies
  • bio-based products
  • industrial biotechnology
  • circular bioeconomy
  • biomass valorisation
  • environmental impact reduction
  • renewable feedstocks

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

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 2695 KB  
Article
Fermentation-Based Production and Whole-Cell Immobilization of β-Glucuronidase-Expressing Talaromyces pinophilus Li-93 for Efficient Bioconversion of Glycyrrhizin
by Kaleem Imdad, Aamir Rasool and Chun Li
Fermentation 2026, 12(3), 127; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation12030127 - 2 Mar 2026
Viewed by 689
Abstract
Glycyrrhizic acid and its derivatives are a crucial class of glycoside terpenoids with significant pharmaceutical and food industry applications. The biotransformation of glycyrrhizin (GL) into glycyrrhetic acid 3-O-mono-β-D-glucuronide (GAMG) and glycyrrhetinic acid (GA) can enhance the production of these valuable compounds. This study [...] Read more.
Glycyrrhizic acid and its derivatives are a crucial class of glycoside terpenoids with significant pharmaceutical and food industry applications. The biotransformation of glycyrrhizin (GL) into glycyrrhetic acid 3-O-mono-β-D-glucuronide (GAMG) and glycyrrhetinic acid (GA) can enhance the production of these valuable compounds. This study aimed to develop strategies to improve the catalytic and operational stability of β-glucuronidase from wild-type Talaromyces pinophilus Li-93, previously known as Penicillium purpurogenum Li-3 (w-PGUS), for efficient GL hydrolysis. Whole cells of T. pinophilus Li-93 expressing w-PGUS were capable of directly converting GL into GAMG. To enhance enzyme stability and reusability, three polymeric supports including, polyurethane foam (PUF), loofah sponge (LS), and polyvinyl chloride (PVC), were evaluated for immobilization of w-PGUS from the fermentation medium. Among these, PUF was the most effective immobilization support, yielding higher immobilization efficiency, GAMG production, and biomass retention. Under optimized conditions (1% PUF, 1.5 g.L−1 w-PGUS inoculum, pH 5.0, 36 °C, 180 rpm), the immobilized w-PGUS produced a final GAMG yield of 3.90 g.L−1, achieving 67.10% immobilization efficiency within 72 h. The PUF-immobilized w-PGUS retained 37.51% of its initial activity after 10 repeated batch reactions, whereas free w-PGUS retained only 6.21%. Additionally, the storage stability of immobilized w-PGUS was significantly higher (40.22%) than that of free w-PGUS (14.74%) after 30 days. Immobilization slightly reduced the initial yield due to mass-transfer limits but enabled much higher cumulative GAMG production through improved stability and reusability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fermentation Processes and Product Development)
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18 pages, 2848 KB  
Article
Enhanced Squalene Production by Thraustochytrium sp. RT2316-16 by Polyphenols from Barley Bagasse
by Paris Paredes, Javiera Iturra and Carolina Shene
Fermentation 2026, 12(1), 63; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation12010063 - 21 Jan 2026
Viewed by 836
Abstract
Squalene, a hydrocarbon with several industrial applications, is obtained from plants, animals, and microorganisms. Oleaginous thraustochytrids are also potential sources of squalene. In eukaryotes, squalene, an intermediary in the sterol/cholesterol pathway, accumulates when the activity of squalene epoxidase or an Alternative SQualene Epoxidase [...] Read more.
Squalene, a hydrocarbon with several industrial applications, is obtained from plants, animals, and microorganisms. Oleaginous thraustochytrids are also potential sources of squalene. In eukaryotes, squalene, an intermediary in the sterol/cholesterol pathway, accumulates when the activity of squalene epoxidase or an Alternative SQualene Epoxidase (AltSQE) is inhibited. The objective of this study was to evaluate the polyphenols extracted from barley bagasse for enhancement of the squalene content in Thraustochytrium sp. RT2316-16. In the media supplemented with terbinafine, an antifungal compound known as an inhibitor of squalene epoxidase, or the polyphenols from barley bagasse 72 h after inoculation, the squalene concentration was 308.7 ± 0.8 and 286.5 ± 0.1 mg L−1 after 168 h, respectively, whereas in the control medium, it was 85.6 ± 0.2 mg L−1. The final concentrations of the lipid-free biomass (4.5 ± 0.1 g L−1) and total lipids (2.5 ± 0.3 g L−1) were not affected by the polyphenols from barley bagasse; on the contrary, the concentration of total lipids in the terbinafine treatment was 30% lower than in the control. In RT2316-16, the gene coding for AltSQE, which is not found in all thraustochytrids, was upregulated under the control treatment, whereas its relative expression was not affected by terbinafine. The squalene accumulation in RT2316-16 in response to the treatment with polyphenols and the antifungal agent makes this strain a promising source of the triterpenoid. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fermentation Processes and Product Development)
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Review

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17 pages, 1903 KB  
Review
Coupled Black Soldier Fly Larvae Processing and Anaerobic Digestion Technologies for Enhanced Vacuum Blackwater Treatment and Resource Recovery: A Review
by Zelong Wang, Yunjuan Ruan, Ndungutse Jean Maurice, Halima Niyilolawa Giwa and Abdulmoseen Segun Giwa
Fermentation 2026, 12(1), 23; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation12010023 - 1 Jan 2026
Viewed by 1062
Abstract
Concentrated wastewater streams, like vacuum blackwater (VBW), pose significant management challenges due to their high organic strength and pathogen loads. This review evaluates an integrated biorefinery model employing sequential black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) bioconversion and thermophilic anaerobic digestion (TAD) as a circular [...] Read more.
Concentrated wastewater streams, like vacuum blackwater (VBW), pose significant management challenges due to their high organic strength and pathogen loads. This review evaluates an integrated biorefinery model employing sequential black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) bioconversion and thermophilic anaerobic digestion (TAD) as a circular solution for effective VBW management. The BSFL pretreatment facilitates bio-stabilization, mitigates ammonia inhibition via nitrogen assimilation, and initiates contaminant degradation. However, this stage alone does not achieve complete hygienization, as it fails to inactivate resilient pathogens, including helminth eggs and spore-forming bacteria, thus precluding the safe direct use of frass as fertilizer. By directing the frass into TAD, the system addresses this limitation while enhancing bioenergy recovery: the frass serves as an optimized, nutrient-balanced substrate that increases biomethane yields, while the sustained thermophilic conditions ensure comprehensive pathogen destruction, resulting in the generation of a sterile digestate. Additionally, the harvested larval biomass offers significant valorization flexibility, making it suitable for use as high-protein animal feed or for conversion into biodiesel through lipid transesterification or co-digestion in TAD to yield high biomethane. Consequently, the BSFL-TAD synergy enables net-positive bioenergy production, achieves significant greenhouse gas mitigation, and co-generates digestate as sanitized organic biofertilizer. This cascading approach transforms hazardous waste into multiple renewable resources, advancing both process sustainability and economic viability within a circular bioeconomy framework. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fermentation Processes and Product Development)
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