White biotechnology and the production of bio-products

Abstract

White biotechnology uses enzymes and microorganisms to produce value-added chemicals from renewable sources. White biotechnology provides valuable components for the food, pharmaceutical, agricultural sectors as well as other industries. Metabolic diversity in fungi, yeast, and bacteria can be exploited to produce food additives and other industrial products. This is an interesting topic for those interested in screening and metabolic testing of microorganisms, industrial biotechnology, fermentation technology, and the biological products research community. The use of microbial-derived compounds has a long history in the food industry, and compounds such as flavorings, essential amino acids, poly-unsaturated fatty acids, organic acids, gelling, etc. can be obtained from microbial sources. Also, the role of microbes in human health and well-being cannot be ignored. Microbes produce primary metabolites such as vitamins, nucleotides, and amino acids, as well as secondary metabolites. These secondary metabolites are used to make many drugs. In agriculture, microbes are also used to make fertilizers and biological pesticides. This paper reviews the types of bio-products obtained through biotechnology and the barriers and challenges of white biotechnology.