Fermentation in practice: from microorganism to end product

Industrial fermentation using microorganisms gives us many everyday products—some obvious, like the yogurt you have for breakfast; others less obvious, like the citric acid in your favorite soda, and the enzymes in your laundry detergent. Behind every fermentation product is a microorganism that had to be optimized to work at industrial efficiency. Improving strains through rational genetic engineering or random mutagenesis combined with screening can only get you so far. Laboratory evolution offers a powerful and complementary method to select for complex properties (eg, faster growth or higher tolerance) without the need for genetic tools and a deep understanding of the underlying mechanisms. This talk will introduce industrial fermentation and strain optimization and cover the various methods and applications of laboratory evolution.

Speaker: Jeroen Koendjbiharie, VU Amsterdam