AFOB Special Issue on Industrial Biotechnology

Abstract

This Special issue of Biotechnology Journal (BTJ) industrial biotechnology, also called white biotechnology, which covers the technology for the production of biofuels, biochemicals, enzymes, biopharmaceuticals, as well as all involved bioprocesses. Industrial biotechnology can also be described as the manipulation of enzymes and microorganisms to produce energy, industrial chemicals, and consumer goods through renewable resources of plant-derived carbohydrates and other compounds. [1] It can reduce the reliance on fossil fuels and yield cost effective and sustainable industrial processes.We have witnessed an enormous development of this field, due to promising approaches to address the most challenging issues in our society, including climate change, resource conservation, cost reduction, and sustainability. [2] Advancement in the fields of industrial biotechnology will influence the world more than we can anticipate now. Through the use of natural resources and the development and manipulation of organisms, industrial biotechnology may provide us with new products and processes which seemed impossible in the past. It may also enable the industry to reduce cost and create new market opportunities while protecting the environment. [3] In addition, with this Special issue Biotechnology Journal continues its cooperation with the Asian Federation of Biotechnology (AFOB). Here are some highlight articles from this issue:A Research Article on "Formate and nitrate utilization in Enterobacter aerogenes for semi-anaerobic production of isobutanol" [4] reports on the engineering of isobutanol-producing E. aerogenes to increase its fitness via augmentation of the formate and nitrate metabolism during anaerobic cultivation. This was achieved by deletion of genes within the formate utilization pathway.Furthermore, another Research Article discusses the "Physiological and metabolomic analysis of Issatchenkia orientalis MTY1 with multiple tolerance for cellulosic bioethanol production." [5] Here, the alcohol producing yeast Issatchenkia orientalis MTY1 was isolated in a Korean winery and its tolerance against high temperature and acidic conditions was characterized in microaerobic batch cultures by metabolomic analysis.In the Research Article on "Prospects for bio-industrial application of an extremely alkaline mannanase from Bacillus subtilis subsp. inaquosorum CSB31," [6] the authors screen for a mannanase producer. An extreme alkaline mannanase (MnB31) enzyme was then purified and the biochemical and thermodynamic properties were examined for utilization in various biotechnological processes using different substrates.Moreover, a Research article on the "Bio-based production of dimethyl itaconate from rice wine waste-derived itaconic acid," [7] shows the potential for bio-based production of raw materials for copolymerization from renewable carbon sources. The authors demonstrate that dimethyl itaconate can be produced by engineered C. glutamicum, starting from itaconic acid produced from rice wine waste-derived carbohydra...

Bioeconomic Assessment of Microalgal Production

“…Biotechnology has various industrial applications including the manufacture of chemicals and biopharmaceuticals, bio-polymers and bio plastics, food, feed and biofuels [16]. White biotechnology or industrial biotechnology uses enzymes and micro-organisms to make bio-based products, including chemicals, food and feed, bioenergy, and textiles [10,[18][19][20][21][22]. Gray biotechnology is comprised from technological solutions created to protect the environment, like in the case of oil spills and purifying sewage water [23].…”