The industrial versatility of Gluconobacter oxydans: current applications and future perspectives

Abstract

Gluconobacter oxydans is a well-known acetic acid bacterium that has long been applied in the biotechnological industry. Its extraordinary capacity to oxidize a variety of sugars, polyols, and alcohols into acids, aldehydes, and ketones is advantageous for the production of valuable compounds. Relevant G. oxydans industrial applications are in the manufacture of L-ascorbic acid (vitamin C), miglitol, gluconic acid and its derivatives, and dihydroxyacetone. Increasing efforts on improving these processes have been made in the last few years, especially by applying metabolic engineering. Thereby, a series of genes have been targeted to construct powerful recombinant strains to be used in optimized fermentation. Furthermore, low-cost feedstocks, mostly agro-industrial wastes or byproducts, have been investigated, to reduce processing costs and improve the sustainability of G. oxydans bioprocess. Nonetheless, further research is required mainly to make these raw materials feasible at the industrial scale. The current shortage of suitable genetic tools for metabolic engineering modifications in G. oxydans is another challenge to be overcome. This paper aims to give an overview of the most relevant industrial G. oxydans processes and the current strategies developed for their improvement.

Cascading and precise regulation of the selective bio-production of 2- or 5-ketogluconic acid from glucose with whole-cell catalysis technology

“…The advantages of incomplete oxidation and strict regio/stereoselective oxidation make G. oxydans one of the most promising industrial microorganisms with which the biopreparation of many high-value-added chemicals has been realized. 39 At present, an appropriate regulation can precisely control the product of the whole-cell catalysis of GA from glucose. 40 However, the technology for 2-kGA and 5-kGA production by G. oxydans has not been explored due to the difficulty of separating these two substances with similar chemical properties.…”

High Efficiency Rare Earth Element Biomining with Systems Biology Guided Engineering ofGluconobacter oxydans

“…Through the incomplete oxidation of glucose, G. oxydans can rapidly produce a low pH biolixiviant that can be used for the solubilization of REE 20,23,32 . Additionally, the recent development of several tools for genetic engineering in G. oxydans has greatly increased the potential for improvement of commercially important mechanisms 30,31,33,34 . Here we have taken advantage of this genetic versatility to greatly improve REE-bioleaching through genetic engineering in G. oxydans B58.…”

Profiling of phenol content and microbial community dynamics during pâté olive cake fermentation

“…Interestingly, before the addition of selected microbial cultures, within the Acetobacteriaceae family, Gluconobacter oxydans was found as a dominant species (7%). Different strains of the species have been used for long time in biotechnology industry for their ability to oxidise various compounds such as sugars, polyols and alcohols, as well as ketones and aldehydes and for the production of bioactive compounds, including L-ascorbic acid (vitamin C) (Da Silva et al, 2022).…”