Fermentation Processes to Produce Specialized Metabolites

Dear Colleagues,

Specialized metabolites or -referring to their traditional name- secondary metabolites are a heterogeneous group of compounds, naturally produced by an array of terrestrial and marine organisms, including plants, invertebrates, and microorganisms. These last (represented, for instance, by filamentous actinobacteria and fungi, as well as cyanobacteria, myxobacteria, and microalgae) are by far the most notable and prolific sources of bioactive molecules. Specialized metabolites greatly differ not only in their chemical structures, but also, and even more importantly, in their biological functions, which span from defence or competition, to signalling, symbiosis, metal transport, and much more. As a consequence, their potential applications cover various fields, such as nutraceuticals, agriculture, medicine, food and pharmaceutical industries. Notably, specialized metabolites with antibiotic or anticancer activity still constitute the preferential targets of screening campaigns, following the urge to discover new therapeutic candidates.
Due to their complex chemical structures, in many cases fermentation represents the only feasible process for the supply of these bioactive molecules, being chemical synthesis too complicated or too expensive. Improvement of fermentation conditions and design of enhanced bioprocesses and bioreactors are therefore essential to reduce production costs and achieve high quality standards.
The goal of this Special Issue is to describe (by original research articles or reviews) the impact of fermentation on the production of specialized metabolites of different origins.

Prof. Dr. Flavia Marinelli
Dr. Francesca Berini
Dr. Fabrizio Beltrametti
Guest Editors

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