The filamentous actinomycete Actinomadura namibiensis is the only known producer of labyrinthopeptins, a class of ribosomally synthesized and posttranslationally modified peptides (RiPPs) displaying highly attractive bioactive properties. In order to increase the labyrinthopeptin A1 productivity in shaking flask cultivations of A. namibiensis, a new cultivation method called salt-enhanced cultivation was used. Compared to the unsupplemented control, labyrinthopeptin A1 productivity was enhanced the most by addition of 50 mM (NH4)2SO4, reaching a 7-fold higher yield of 325 mg L-1 within 10 cultivation days. Salt-enhanced cultivation affected growth and product formation mechanisms, cell morphology characteristics and rheological characteristics of cultivation broth. An image analysis method was developed to quantify both the macro-morphology (pellet size and shape) and the micro-morphology (hyphal network structure) of the heterogeneous filamentous biomass in detail. Productivity-related morphological parameters were in particular the size and circularity of pellets and the degree of hyphal interweaving (hyphal network spacing). It was shown that the time-dependent change in morphology linked to the rheological properties of the cultivation broth. The results presented in this work provide new insights into the cultivation aspects of A. namibiensis and illustrate the challenges on the way to a comprehensive understanding of the complex relationship between productivity, morphology and rheology in filamentous cultivations.

Application of Process Intensification (PI) presents a set of radically innovative principles in process and equipment design, which can bring significant benefits in terms of process efficiency, capital and operating expenses, quality, process safety, and sustainability. Typical approaches in bioprocess intensification are the reduction of the number of production steps, continuous processing, integrated processes, and alternative energy inputs.

The filamentous actinomycete Lentzea aerocolonigenes produces the antitumor antibiotic rebeccamycin. However, the complex morphology of actinomycetes leads to challenges during the cultivation often accompanied by low product titers. In the recent past, the to date low rebeccamycin titers were increased by particle addition to cultivations of L. aerocolonigenes. In this thesis the addition of micro-, macro- and adsorbent particles to cultivations of L. aerocolonigenes were investigated in more detail. Furthermore, the scale-up to a bubble-free bioreactor was conducted. The addition of glass microparticles (x50 = 7.9 μm, 10 g L-1) to shake flask cultivations increased the rebeccamycin titer up to 3.6-fold compared to an unsupplemented approach. Pellet slices showed the incorporation of microparticles. With different surface modifications of the microparticles, specific incorporation patterns of the microparticles appeared. The incorporation of microparticles causes looser and smaller pellets allowing an increased nutrient and oxygen supply in the pellet core. With addition of larger (glass) macroparticles (ø = 0.2 – 2.1 mm, 100 g L-1) mechanical stress was induced on the biopellets. The additional supplementation of 5 g L-1 soy lecithin and glass beads (ø = 969 μm, 100 g L-1) resulted in a rebeccamycin titer of 388 mg L-1, one of the highest rebeccamycin titers ever achieved. For the scale-up of L. aerocolonigenes cultivations a bubble-free membrane aeration system was developed. The tubular membrane aeration system can additionally be pressurized to increase the oxygen transfer. First cultivations of L. aerocolonigenes successfully provided 18 mg L-1 rebeccamycin, a concentration similar to that of unsupplemented shake flask cultivations. XAD adsorbent particles were added to cultivations to facilitate rebeccamycin recovery. However, the XAD particles additionally increased the rebeccamycin titer which was likely to be caused by the adsorption of the rebeccamycin precursor tryptophan to the resins which in turn directly transferred the tryptophan to the microorganism.

This book reviews all important aspects of Microbial sustainability in food production and food safety with the aim of shedding new light on these microbes through combined understanding of traditional and novel paradigms. The book is divided into three sections, the first of which reinterprets fundamentals of food microbiology, examining the beneficial aspects of microorganisms in food and microbial responses from food environments and preservation. The second section discusses recent advances in understanding of the sustainable food production, covering, for example, agriculturally important microbes, farming microbes, and fermentation. A wide range of bio-factory issues in food production are also addressed, before turning attention to contemporary food safety approaches in the context of novel assessment methods for microbiological food characterization, improving food safety and food quality, etc. The final section is devoted to public health and its importance of microorganisms in food processing as well as the economic importance of microorganisms as this is also an increasingly important area as we move toward microbial research advances.

An integrated review of the most recent trends in natural products, drug discovery, and key lead candidates that are outstanding for their chemistry and biology in novel drug development.

Advances in Probiotics: Microorganisms in Food and Health highlights recent advances in probiotic microorganisms, commercial probiotics, safety aspects of probiotics, preparation and commercialization, microbiome therapy for diseases and disorders, and next generation probiotics. This is a comprehensive resource of developments of new formulations and products for probiotic and prebiotic food with focus on the microorganisms to enable effective probiotic delivery. The book deliberates contemporary trends and challenges, risks, limitations in probiotic and prebiotic food to deliver an understanding not only for research development purposes but also to benefit further standardize industrial requirements and other techno-functional traits of probiotics. At present there is no solitary volume to describe the probiotics and prebiotics properties, Advances in Probiotics: Microorganisms in Food and Health provides novel information to fill the overall gap in the market. It presents the most current information on probiotic and prebiotics for the food industry. This book is a valuable resource for academicians, researchers, food industrialists, and entrepreneurs. Presents a simulated gastrointestinal system to analyze the probiotics effects on gut microbiome for learning purpose Includes research information on Next Generation Probiotics to foster new formulations Provides comprehensive information on probiotic microorganism behavior for more accurate analysis Discusses the potential of probiotic and prebiotic foods in preventing disease

This book provides in-depth insights into the biology, taxonomy, genetics, physiology and biotechnological applications of Actinobacteria. It especially focuses on the latter, reviewing the wide variety of actinobacterial bioactive molecules and their benefits for diverse industrial applications such as agriculture, aquaculture, biofuel production and food technology. Actinobacteria are one of the most promising sources of small bioactive molecules and it is estimated that only a small percentage of actinobacterial bioactive chemicals have been discovered to date. Identifying new diverse gene clusters of biotechnological relevance in the genome of Actinobacteria will be crucial to developing advanced applications for pharmaceutical, industrial and agricultural purposes. The book offers a unique resource for all graduate students, researchers and practitioners in the fields of microbiology, microbial biotechnology, and the genetic engineering of Actinobacteria.