Biotechnology in Food Processing: Generation and Utilization of Functional Sugars

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Engineering and Technology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 March 2026 | Viewed by 1404

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
College of Biotechnology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin 300457, China
Interests: metabolic engineering; synthetic biology; systems biology; Escherichia coli; co-utilization of carbon sources; fermentation; N-acetyl-glucosamine

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Guest Editor
School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University; Wuxi 214122, China
Interests: metabolic engineering; synthetic biology; microbial cell factory; N-acetylneuraminic acid; fermentation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Functional sugars, a class of bioactive compounds, have emerged as crucial contributors to human health and well-being. In response to the escalating global aging population crisis, there has been a significant surge in research and development efforts focused on healthcare products that incorporate functional sugars. Recent scientific endeavors have primarily concentrated on two key aspects: the biotechnological production of functional sugars through innovative approaches such as de novo biosynthesis and advanced biocatalysis methods, and their expanding applications in the food and pharmaceutical industries.

In light of these developments, Foods is pleased to announce a Special Issue dedicated to exploring the biotechnological approaches in the generation and utilization of functional sugars. This comprehensive collection aims to provide an in-depth analysis of current advancements, challenges, and future directions in the bioproduction of functional sugars, while also examining their expanding roles in the food and pharmaceutical industries.

We invite contributions addressing, but not limited to, the following research areas:

  • Innovative approaches in biosynthesis and biocatalysis for functional sugar production;
  • Application of synthetic biology approaches for optimized biosynthesis of functional sugars in engineered microbial cell factories;
  • Development of high-performance functional sugar-producing strains through high-throughput screening technologies;
  • Utilization of functional sugars in food and pharmaceutical industries;
  • Enzyme engineering strategies for enhanced bioproduction of functional sugars.

Dr. Qian Ma
Prof. Dr. Yanfeng Liu
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • functional sugar
  • generation
  • utilization
  • biosynthesis
  • biocatalysis
  • fermentation
  • enzyme engineering
  • metabolic engineering
  • high-throughput screening
  • application

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 1951 KB  
Article
A New β-Galactosidase from Pseudomonas tritici SWRI145 for Efficient Bioproduction of Galactooligosaccharides
by Xiangpeng Jin, Zhuo Cheng, Yulei Zhang, Penka Petrova, Kaloyan Petrov, Wenli Zhang and Wanmeng Mu
Foods 2025, 14(17), 3125; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14173125 - 6 Sep 2025
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Abstract
Galactooligosaccharides (GOS) are a class of prebiotic carbohydrates composed of 2 to 8 galactose units linked together and often terminated with a glucose molecule. GOS have attracted significant attention for their health-promoting properties, including the regulation of gut microbiota, promotion of infant health, [...] Read more.
Galactooligosaccharides (GOS) are a class of prebiotic carbohydrates composed of 2 to 8 galactose units linked together and often terminated with a glucose molecule. GOS have attracted significant attention for their health-promoting properties, including the regulation of gut microbiota, promotion of infant health, immune modulation, laxative effects, and potential metabolic benefits. Widely utilized in functional foods, infant formulas, dairy products, and dietary supplements, GOS occur naturally in human milk and are primarily industrially produced through the enzymatic conversion of lactose. β-Galactosidase is a crucial enzyme in GOS bioproduction, which exhibits dual functions of hydrolysis and transglycosylation. In this investigation, a novel β-galactosidase from Pseudomonas tritici SWRI145 (Pstr β-galactosidase) was characterized. Biochemical characterization revealed that the enzyme exhibits the highest activity at 50 °C and pH 7.5, with a specific activity of 331.9 U/mg against ONPG. Under optimal reaction conditions (40 °C, pH 8.0, 300 g/L lactose, 0.4 mg/mL enzyme), 134.3 g/L GOS were produced, corresponding to 44.8% GOS yield and 80% substrate conversion. LC-MS analysis confirmed that the main products were GOS with degrees of polymerization (DP) ranging from 2 to 4. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a Pseudomonas-derived β-galactosidase with demonstrated GOS synthesis capability, highlighting its potential for industrial application. Full article
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Review

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24 pages, 8557 KB  
Review
Microbial Production of N-Acetylneuraminic Acid Using Metabolically Engineered Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis: Advances and Perspectives
by Jingru Dang, Zhijie Shi, Heyun Wu, Qian Ma and Xixian Xie
Foods 2025, 14(20), 3478; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14203478 - 12 Oct 2025
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Abstract
N-Acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac), the predominant form of sialic acids (Sias), is extensively utilized in the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries. Microbial fermentation serves as a critical production method for its economical, eco-friendly, and scalable production. Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis, as [...] Read more.
N-Acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac), the predominant form of sialic acids (Sias), is extensively utilized in the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries. Microbial fermentation serves as a critical production method for its economical, eco-friendly, and scalable production. Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis, as primary industrial workhorses for Neu5Ac production, have been extensively investigated owing to their well-characterized genetic frameworks and mature molecular toolkits. Nevertheless, the intricate regulatory networks inherent to microbial systems present formidable obstacles to the high-efficiency biosynthesis of Neu5Ac. This review delineates the genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying Neu5Ac biosynthesis in both E. coli and B. subtilis. Furthermore, the rational and irrational strategies for constructing Neu5Ac microbial cell factories are systematically summarized, including the application of rational metabolic engineering to relieve feedback regulation, reconfigure metabolic networks, implement dynamic regulation, and optimize carbon sources; as well as the use of irrational strategies including directed evolution of key enzymes and high-throughput screening based on biosensors. Finally, this review addresses current challenges in Neu5Ac bioproduction and proposes integrative solutions combining machine learning with systems metabolic engineering to advance the construction of high-titer Neu5Ac microbial cell factory and the refinement of advanced fermentation technologies. Full article
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