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Fermentation and Bioprocess Engineering Processes
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Fermentation and Bioprocess Engineering Processes

A special issue of Processes (ISSN 2227-9717). This special issue belongs to the section "Biological Processes and Systems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 May 2024 | Viewed by 11942

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Ali Demirci

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
Interests: fermentation; bioprocessing; value-added products; process optimization; reactor design; scale-up
Prof. Dr. Irfan Turhan

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Food Engineering, Akdeniz University, Antalya 07058, Turkey
Interests: enzymes; bioreactors; industrial microbiology, fermentation; biotransformation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Ehsan Mahdinia

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Stack Family Center for Biopharmaceutical Education & Training, Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Albany, NY 12203, USA
Interests: biomanufacturing; recombinant biopharmaceuticals; fermentation; bioprocess optimization; upstream processing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The fermentation process is an approach that promotes the growth of microorganisms for the production of value-added products such as organic acids, enzymes, vitamins, and biopharmaceuticals. Through fermentation, raw agricultural bioproducts or industrial wastes can be converted into value-added products. The production of value-added products from agricultural raw materials not only increases the value of farmers’ crops but can also improve the wellbeing of people. In most cases, the dependency on petroleum-based products can be minimized, owing to our ability to obtain the same products can obtained via microbial fermentation, utilizing renewable raw materials such as corn and potatoes. In terms of renewable energy production, biogas, ethanol, and bio-hydrogen are the most promising microbial products. With petroleum sources increasingly rendered unsustainable, this area alone is very exciting since with the ever greater need for new and cleaner energy sources. On the other hand, many compounds related to human health such as vaccines and prebiotics can be produced in bioreactors, making use of different microorganisms and fermentation techniques.

This Special Issue on “Fermentation and Bioprocess Engineering Processes” will not only provide the fundamentals for fermentation processes, but also provide some successful examples. We believe this will contribute significantly in this field and encourage for future research.

Prof. Dr. Ali Demirci
Prof. Dr. Irfan Turhan
Dr. Ehsan Mahdinia
Guest Editors

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. Processes 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 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

  • fermentation
  • bioprocessing
  • reactor design
  • process optimization
  • value-added products
  • industrial microbiology
  • biotechnology
  • microbial fermentation
  • cell culture
  • bioconversion

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 3682 KiB  
Article
Characterizing Novel Acetogens for Production of C2–C6 Alcohols from Syngas
by Rahul Thunuguntla, Hasan K. Atiyeh, Raymond L. Huhnke and Ralph S. Tanner
Processes 2024, 12(1), 142; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr12010142 - 06 Jan 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 753
Abstract
Utilizing syngas components CO, CO2, and H2 to produce fatty acids and alcohols offers a sustainable approach for biofuels and chemicals, reducing the global carbon footprint. The development of robust strains, especially for higher alcohol titers in C4 and C6 compounds, [...] Read more.
Utilizing syngas components CO, CO2, and H2 to produce fatty acids and alcohols offers a sustainable approach for biofuels and chemicals, reducing the global carbon footprint. The development of robust strains, especially for higher alcohol titers in C4 and C6 compounds, and the creation of cost-effective media are crucial. This study compared syngas fermentation capabilities of three novel strains (Clostridium carboxidivorans P20, C. ljungdahlii P14, and C. muellerianum P21) with existing strains (C. ragsdalei P11 and C. carboxidivorans P7) in three medium formulations. Fermentations in 250-mL bottles were conducted at 37 °C using H2:CO2:CO (30:30:40) using P11, P7, and corn steep liquor (CSL) media. Results showed that P11 and CSL media facilitated higher cell mass, alcohol titer, and gas conversion compared to the P7 medium. Strains P7, P14, and P20 formed 1.4- to 4-fold more total alcohols in the CSL medium in comparison with the P7 medium. Further, strain P21 produced more butanol (0.9 g/L) and hexanol (0.7 g/L) in the medium with CSL, offering cost advantages over P7 and P11 media containing yeast extract. Enhancing strain activity and selectivity in converting syngas into C4 and C6 alcohols requires further development, medium formulation improvements, and characterization, particularly for the new strain P21. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fermentation and Bioprocess Engineering Processes)
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19 pages, 1905 KiB  
Article
Yeast Lipids from Crude Glycerol Media and Utilization of Lipid Fermentation Wastewater as Maceration Water in Cultures of Edible and Medicinal Mushrooms
by Ilias Diamantis, Seraphim Papanikolaou, Savvoula Michou, Vassilios Anastasopoulos and Panagiota Diamantopoulou
Processes 2023, 11(11), 3178; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr11113178 - 07 Nov 2023
Viewed by 1224
Abstract
Four wild “red” yeast strains (Rhodosporidium kratochvilovae FMCC Y70, R. toruloides NRRL Y-27013, R. toruloides NRRL Y-17902 and R. toruloides NRRL Y-6985) were cultured in shake flasks on industrial glycerol at an initial substrate (Gly0) concentration ≈ 50 g/L under [...] Read more.
Four wild “red” yeast strains (Rhodosporidium kratochvilovae FMCC Y70, R. toruloides NRRL Y-27013, R. toruloides NRRL Y-17902 and R. toruloides NRRL Y-6985) were cultured in shake flasks on industrial glycerol at an initial substrate (Gly0) concentration ≈ 50 g/L under nitrogen limitation. Strains NRRL Y-27013, NRRL Y-17902 and NRRL Y-6985 presented appreciable dry cell weight (DCW) and lipid synthesis (DCW up to 18–19 g/L containing lipids in quantities ≈ 47%, w/w). Strains NRRL Y-27013 and NRRL Y-6985 were further tested in higher Gly0 concentrations (≈90 g/L and ≈110 g/L) with the same initial nitrogen quantity as in the first (“screening”) experiment. Both strains, despite the high Gly0 concentrations and C/N ratios (up to 120 moles/moles) imposed, presented significant DCW production (up to c. 29.0–29.5 g/L). Yeast biomass contained significant lipid (42–43%, w/w) and endopolysaccharide (up to 42%, w/w) quantities. Both lipids and endopolysaccharide quantities (in % w/w) noticeably increased as a response to the imposed nitrogen limitation. Lipids containing mainly oleic and palmitic acids constituted ideal candidates for biodiesel synthesis. Thereafter, the wastewaters derived from the lipid production process (lipid fermentation wastewaters—LFWs) were used as maceration waters in cultivations of edible and medicinal fungi, where novel (non-conventional) substrates were used in the performed cultures. CW (coffee residue + wheat straw), CB (coffee residue + beech wood shavings), OW (olive crop + wheat straw), OB (olive crop + beech wood shavings), RW (rice husk + wheat straw) and RB (rice husk + beech wood shavings) were soaked/sprayed with LFWs or tap water and utilized in the cultivation of Pleurotus, Ganoderma and Lentinula mushrooms. The impact of LFWs on the mycelial growth rate (mm/d) and biomass production was evaluated. The results show that regardless of the wetting method, the highest growth rates (6.2–6.6 mm/d) were noticed on RW and RB for Pleurotus eryngii and Ganoderma resinaceum, on OW, OB and RW for Ganoderma applanatum and on RW, OW and OB for Lentinula edodes. Nevertheless, high biomass production was obtained on substrates soaked with LFWs for Pleurotus ostreatus (RW: 443 mg/g d.w.), L. edodes (RB: 238 mg/g d.w.) and Ganoderma lucidum (RW: 450 mg/g d.w.). Overall, this study demonstrates the possibility of the industrial conversion of low-value agro-waste to mycelial mass and eventually to important food products. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fermentation and Bioprocess Engineering Processes)
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13 pages, 2812 KiB  
Article
Screening of Microbial Strains Used to Ferment Dendrobium officinale to Produce Polysaccharides, and Investigation of These Polysaccharides’ Skin Care Effects
by Xin Tang, Bulei Wang, Bingyong Mao, Jianxin Zhao, Guangrong Liu, Kaiye Yang and Shumao Cui
Processes 2023, 11(9), 2563; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr11092563 - 27 Aug 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 898
Abstract
The microbial fermentation of plants is a promising approach for enhancing the yield of polysaccharides with increased activity. In this study, ten microbial strains, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum CCFM8661, Limosilactobacillus reuteri CCFM8631, Lactobacillus helveticus M10, Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus CCFM237, Lactilactobacillus sakei GD17-9, Lacticaseibacillus casei CCFM1073, Bacillus [...] Read more.
The microbial fermentation of plants is a promising approach for enhancing the yield of polysaccharides with increased activity. In this study, ten microbial strains, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum CCFM8661, Limosilactobacillus reuteri CCFM8631, Lactobacillus helveticus M10, Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus CCFM237, Lactilactobacillus sakei GD17-9, Lacticaseibacillus casei CCFM1073, Bacillus subtilis CCFM1162, Bacteroides cellulosilyticus FTJSI-E-2, Bacteroides stercoris FNMHLBEIK-4, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae HN7-A5, were used to ferment Dendrobium officinale. The skin care activity of the resulting polysaccharides (F-DOP) was evaluated in cultured HaCaT and RAW 264.7 cells, and a mouse model. The results indicated that D. officinale medium promoted strain proliferation, and fermentation significantly enhanced polysaccharide yield (up to 1.42 g/L) compared to that without fermentation (0.76 g/L). Moreover, F-DOPs, especially after CCFM8631 fermentation, exhibited an excellent ability to attenuate sodium dodecyl sulfate-induced HaCaT cell injury (from 69.04 to 94.86%) and decrease nitric oxide secretion (from 42.86 to 22.56 μM) in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. In vivo, CCFM8631-FDOP reduced the transdermal water loss rate, skin epidermal thickness, and interleukin 6, and enhanced the expression of filaggrin, improving 2,4-dinitrofluorobenzene-induced skin damage. Therefore, considering viable cell counts, polysaccharide yields, and skin care efficacy in vitro and in vivo, CCFM8631 is the most suitable strain to enhance the skin care activity of DOPs and possesses promising potential for applications in the cosmetics industry. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fermentation and Bioprocess Engineering Processes)
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16 pages, 1832 KiB  
Article
Production and Characterization of Kombucha Tea from Different Sources of Tea and Its Kinetic Modeling
by Kubra Tarhan Kuzu, Gamze Aykut, Serap Tek, Ercan Yatmaz, Mustafa Germec, Ibrahim Yavuz and Irfan Turhan
Processes 2023, 11(7), 2100; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr11072100 - 14 Jul 2023
Viewed by 1848
Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the fermentation performance, sugar consumption, pH changes, total phenolic compounds, and antioxidant activity produced using different tea extracts and sugar concentrations and the kinetic characteristics of Kombucha fermentation. Three independent sugar concentrations (10 g/L, 40 g/L, and 70 [...] Read more.
This study aimed to investigate the fermentation performance, sugar consumption, pH changes, total phenolic compounds, and antioxidant activity produced using different tea extracts and sugar concentrations and the kinetic characteristics of Kombucha fermentation. Three independent sugar concentrations (10 g/L, 40 g/L, and 70 g/L) were used in the fermentation process. The results showed that the Kombucha culture consumed all sugar in the fermentation medium when the sugar concentration was below a certain threshold, but when the sugar concentration was high, not all substrate was consumed. Sugar consumption values ranged from 48.39 to 55.40 g/L and affected biomass formation, with higher sugar consumption resulting in increased biomass production. The pH decreased during fermentation due to the production of organic acids and microbial by-products, while total acidity increased. Total phenolic compounds increased during fermentation, with the highest concentrations observed in herbal Kombucha teas. Antioxidant activity varied, with some samples showing a decrease in DPPH scavenging ability. Kinetic characterization revealed the relationship between substrate depletion, sugar consumption, total acidity, and phenolic compound production. The results showed that sugar concentration influenced the fermentation kinetics and end-product characteristics of Kombucha tea. Overall, this study provides valuable insights into the fermentation process of Kombucha tea and its impact on various parameters, contributing to the understanding of the factors affecting its quality and health benefits. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fermentation and Bioprocess Engineering Processes)
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16 pages, 2340 KiB  
Article
Fermentation of Menaquinone-7: The Influence of Environmental Factors and Storage Conditions on the Isomer Profile
by Neha Lal, Mostafa Seifan and Aydin Berenjian
Processes 2023, 11(6), 1816; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr11061816 - 15 Jun 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1569
Abstract
Menaquinone-7 (MK-7) provides significant health gains due to its excellent pharmacokinetic properties. However, MK-7 occurs at low concentrations in mainstream foods, heightening the demand for nutritional supplements. MK-7 exists as geometric isomers, and only all-trans MK-7 is bioactive. Exposure to certain environments [...] Read more.
Menaquinone-7 (MK-7) provides significant health gains due to its excellent pharmacokinetic properties. However, MK-7 occurs at low concentrations in mainstream foods, heightening the demand for nutritional supplements. MK-7 exists as geometric isomers, and only all-trans MK-7 is bioactive. Exposure to certain environments impacts the isomer profile. Knowledge of these factors and their influence on the isomer composition is important, as the efficacy of fermented MK-7 end products is solely determined by the all-trans isomer. This investigation aimed to evaluate the short- and long-term effect of atmospheric oxygen, common temperatures, and light on the isomer profile. From the short-term study, it was ascertained that MK-7 is moderately heat-stable but extremely light-sensitive. The stability of all-trans MK-7 was then examined during 8 weeks of storage at a low temperature with minimal oxygen exposure in the absence of light. Negligible change in the all-trans MK-7 concentration occurred, suggesting it is reasonably stable during prolonged storage in this environment. These findings will aid the development of optimal storage conditions to preserve bioactive MK-7 in fermented nutritional supplements, the large-scale availability and consumption of which will help compensate for the dietary deficit of this essential vitamin and provide consumers with better health outcomes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fermentation and Bioprocess Engineering Processes)
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13 pages, 2888 KiB  
Article
Synergistic Ball Milling–Enzymatic Pretreatment of Brewer’s Spent Grains to Improve Volatile Fatty Acid Production through Thermophilic Anaerobic Fermentation
by Can Liu, Ahamed Ullah, Xin Gao and Jian Shi
Processes 2023, 11(6), 1648; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr11061648 - 28 May 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1046
Abstract
Brewer’s spent grain (BSG) as the major byproduct in the brewing industry is a promising feedstock to produce value-added products such as volatile fatty acids (VFAs). Synergistic ball mill–enzymatic hydrolysis (BM-EH) process is an environmentally friendly pretreatment method for lignocellulosic materials before bioprocessing. [...] Read more.
Brewer’s spent grain (BSG) as the major byproduct in the brewing industry is a promising feedstock to produce value-added products such as volatile fatty acids (VFAs). Synergistic ball mill–enzymatic hydrolysis (BM-EH) process is an environmentally friendly pretreatment method for lignocellulosic materials before bioprocessing. This study investigated the potential of raw and BM-EH pretreated BSG feedstocks to produce VFAs through a direct thermophilic anaerobic fermentation process without introducing a methanogen inhibitor. The highest VFA concentration of over 30 g/L was achieved under the high-solid loading fermentation (HS) of raw BSG. The synergistic BM-EH pretreatment helps to increase the cellulose conversion to 70%. Under conventional low TS fermentation conditions, compared to the controlled sample, prolonged pretreatment of the BSG substrate resulted in increased VFA yields from 0.25 to 0.33 g/gVS, and butyric acid became dominant instead of acetic acid. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fermentation and Bioprocess Engineering Processes)
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Review

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27 pages, 847 KiB  
Review
Production of Value-Added Products as Food Ingredients via Microbial Fermentation
by Attia Iram, Ali Ozcan, Irfan Turhan and Ali Demirci
Processes 2023, 11(6), 1715; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr11061715 - 03 Jun 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3487
Abstract
Humankind has been unknowingly utilizing food fermentations since the first creation of bread, cheese, and other basic foods. Since the beginning of the last century, microbial fermentation has been extensively utilized for production of commodity chemicals. It has also gained substantial interest in [...] Read more.
Humankind has been unknowingly utilizing food fermentations since the first creation of bread, cheese, and other basic foods. Since the beginning of the last century, microbial fermentation has been extensively utilized for production of commodity chemicals. It has also gained substantial interest in recent decades due to its underlying applications in the preparation of natural and safe food ingredients including enzymes, antimicrobial agents, vitamins, organic acids, sweeteners, stabilizers, emulsifiers, oligosaccharides, amino acids, and thickening agents. In addition, some novel food ingredients that were conventionally made from some other sources such as plant tissue cultures or animals are now being introduced in the industry as ‘fermentation products.’ Some examples of such novel fermentation food ingredients include flavonoids, cultured meat products, food colorants, antioxidants, lipids, and fatty acids. This review summarizes some of the most prominent food ingredients and novel fermentation food products currently being produced via microbial fermentation as well as the strategies to enhance such fermentation processes. Additionally, economical feedstocks are discussed with their potential to be converted into value-added products with the help of microbial fermentations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fermentation and Bioprocess Engineering Processes)
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Planned Papers

The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.

Title: From benchtop to large scale bioreactors: Strategies for the scale-up
Authors: Dr. Ehsan Mahdinia
Affiliation: Stack Family Center for Biopharmaceutical Education & Training, Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Albany, NY 12203, USA

Title: Innovative exploitation of agro-industrial wastes for mushroom cultivation. Part II: effect of substrates on nutritional composition and antioxidant potential of carposomes
Authors: Prof. Santy Diamantopoulou
Affiliation: Laboratory of Edible Fungi, Institute of Technology of Agricultural Products, Hellenic Agricultural Organization - DIMITRA, Sof. Venizelou 1, Lycovrissi, 14123, Greece

Title: Utilization of local agri-processing by-products to produce fungal biomass
Authors: Prof. Samir Kumar Khanal
Affiliation: Department of Molecular Biosciences and Bioengineering, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Mānoa, HI, USA

Title: Hybrid modelling for on-line fermentation optimization and enhanced scale-up
Authors: Prof. Krist V. Gernaey
Affiliation: Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Søltofts Plads, Building 229, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark

Title: Mechanical Cell Disruption Technologies for Intracellular Compound Extraction from Fermentation Microorganisms
Authors: Haibo Huang
Affiliation: Department of Food Science and Technology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, USA

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