Developments In Industrial Microbiology

Industrial microbiology is a branch of biotechnology, which is concerned with the production of industrial products by the manipulation of microorganisms. It also involves maximizing product yields through gene amplification using plasmids and vectors. The production of antibiotics, enzymes, alcohol, vitamins, etc. is an important application of industrial microbiology. In agriculture, innovative biopesticides and microbial inoculants are applied to avoid the chemical use of pesticides and fertilizers. This book presents the complex subject of industrial microbiology in the most comprehensible and easy to understand language. It is a valuable compilation of topics, ranging from the basic to the most complex advancements in this domain. As this field is emerging at a rapid pace, the contents of this book will help the readers understand the modern concepts and applications of the subject.

Of major economic, environmental and social importance, industrialmicrobiology involves the utilization of microorganisms in theproduction of a wide range of products, including enzymes, foods,beverages, chemical feedstocks, fuels and pharmaceuticals, andclean technologies employed for waste treatment and pollutioncontrol. Aimed at undergraduates studying the applied aspects of biology,particularly those on biotechnology and microbiology courses andstudents of food science and biochemical engineering, this textprovides a wide-ranging introduction to the field of industrialmicrobiology. The content is divided into three sections: key aspects of microbial physiology, exploring the versatilityof microorganisms, their diverse metabolic activities andproducts industrial microorganisms and the technology required forlarge-scale cultivation and isolation of fermentationproducts investigation of a wide range of established and novelindustrial fermentation processes and products Written by experienced lecturers with industrial backgrounds,Industrial Microbiology provides the reader with groundwork in boththe fundamental principles of microbial biology and the varioustraditional and novel applications of microorganisms to industrialprocesses, many of which have been made possible or enhanced byrecent developments in genetic engineering technology. A wide-ranging introduction to the field of industrialmicrobiology Based on years of teaching experience by experienced lecturerswith industrial backgrounds Explains the underlying microbiology as well as the industrialapplication. Content is divided into three sections: 1. key aspects of microbial physiology, exploring theversatility of microorganisms, their diverse metabolic activitiesand products 2. industrial microorganisms and the technology required forlarge-scale cultivation and isolation of fermentation products 3. investigation of a wide range of established and novelindustrial fermentation processes and products

The development of civilization entails the need to find new technological solutions leading to products with new properties. Allies in these efforts are microorganisms that have developed skills to synthesize products with properties of interest to the industry, environmental remediation or water treatment. The evolution of the omics approaches brought new tools to explore the microbial diversity and microorganisms' potential. These new methodological approaches are readily used in both industrial and environmental microbiology. This Special Issue collects research papers as well as review articles addressing recent advances on applied and environmental microbiology. The review articles critically discuss the importance of biopolymers, specifically xanthan gum, to improve soil properties and the importance that microorganisms of poorly explored environments, such as caves, may have in the production of new bioactive compounds. The microbiological aspects of wastewater treatment and occurrence of antibiotic resistance genes in wastewater and sludge are studied in two research papers. These works demonstrate the effect that treatment conditions may have in the modulation of the water bacterial communities and how treated wastewater may impact the receiving environment in terms of pollution with antibiotic resistance genes. Additionally, the influence that an invasive species (alligator weed) may have on wetlands organic matter accumulation and bacterial communities was studied, being demonstrated that the presence of the invasive weed affects the wetland microhabitat both in terms of organic matter content and bacterial communities structure..