Biotechnological polyphosphate as an opportunity to contribute to the circularization of the phosphate economy.

Polyphosphates, chains of polymerized phosphate subunits, are used as food additives for various applications such as conservation, water retention, and pH buffering. Currently, the value chain of phosphates is linear, based on mining fossil phosphate rock, which is anticipated to be depleted in a few hundred years. With no replacement available, a transition to a circular phosphate economy, to which biological systems can contribute, is required.

Pseudomonas putida KT2440 endures temporary oxygen limitations.

The obligate aerobic nature of Pseudomonas putida, one of the most prominent whole-cell biocatalysts emerging for industrial bioprocesses, questions its ability to be cultivated in large-scale bioreactors, which exhibit zones of low dissolved oxygen tension. P. putida KT2440 was repeatedly subjected to temporary oxygen limitations in scale-down approaches to assess the effect on growth and an exemplary production of rhamnolipids.

Microfluidic Irreversible Electroporation-A Versatile Tool to Extract Intracellular Contents of Bacteria and Yeast.

Exploring the dynamic behavior of cellular metabolism requires a standard laboratory method that guarantees rapid sampling and extraction of the cellular content. We propose a versatile sampling technique applicable to cells with different cell wall and cell membrane properties. The technique is based on irreversible electroporation with simultaneous quenching and extraction by using a microfluidic device.

Restoration of biofuel production levels and increased tolerance under ionic liquid stress is enabled by a mutation in the essential Escherichia coli gene cydC.

Background: Microbial production of chemicals from renewable carbon sources enables a sustainable route to many bioproducts. Sugar streams, such as those derived from biomass pretreated with ionic liquids (IL), provide efficiently derived and cost-competitive starting materials. A limitation to this approach is that residual ILs in the pretreated sugar source can be inhibitory to microbial growth and impair expression of the desired biosynthetic pathway.

Quantitative measurements in single-cell analysis: towards scalability in microbial bioprocess development.

Single-cell analysis in microfluidic cultivation devices bears a great potential for the development and optimization of industrial bioprocesses. High parallelization allows running a large number of cultivation experiments simultaneously even under quick alteration of environmental conditions. For example, the impact of changes in media composition on cell growth during classical batch cultivation can be easily resolved.