Application and Research of Solid State Fermentation

A special issue of Fermentation (ISSN 2311-5637). This special issue belongs to the section "Industrial Fermentation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 December 2024 | Viewed by 6424

Special Issue Editor

School of Chemical Engineering, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China
Interests: solid-state fermentation (SSF); microbial fermentation; organic waste; reactor design; SSF process; feed protein; single-cell protein; compost; bio-energy

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Agricultural-based and light industries produce huge amounts of waste each year. The production of organic wastes without proper disposal procedures will lead to environmental pollution, which has harmful effect on human and animal health. Although some countries, such as China, have seen the comprehensive utilization rate of these waste reach over 70%, , the current means of utilization are rough, such as returning straw to the field or directly using it as animal feed. Therefore, the question how to improve the value of these wastes remains a meaningful and challenging topic. Fermentation is an effective way to increase the value of these organic wastes. Compared with submerged fermentation (SmF), solid-state fermentation (SSF) has various advantages in the utilization of agricultural and light industry wastes (e.g., crop straw, distiller’s grains, livestock manure, kitchen waste), resulting in low water consumption and cost. Therefore, obtaining some protentional products via SSF, such as protein feed, edible fungi, organic fertilizer, bio-energy, and Jiaosu, has gradually aroused people’s interest in recent years. However, the development of efficient SSF still faces numerous challenges, such as the pretreatment method, mass and heat transfer, reactor design, fermentation process, and product efficiency.

The goal of this Special Issue is to publish recent research results as well as review papers on SSF products (e.g., single-cell proteins, edible fungi, biopesticides, enzymes, compost, bio-energy, and Jiaosu), SSF processes (e.g., mass and heat transfer), SSF intensification (e.g., pretreatment, process intensification), SSF reactor design (e.g., new SSF reactor), and economic and environmental analysis of SSF (full life cycle assessment). Other topics about SSF are also of interest.

Dr. Yafan Cai
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • solid-state fermentation (SSF)
  • microbial fermentation
  • organic waste
  • reactor design
  • ssf process
  • feed protein
  • single-cell protein
  • compost
  • bio-energy

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 2977 KiB  
Article
Three-Stage Solid-State Fermentation Technology for Distillers’ Grain Feed Protein Based on Different Microorganisms Considering Oxygen Requirements
by Songlin Kong, Shilei Wang, Yun He, Nan Wang, Zhi Wang, Longfei Weng, Dong Liu, Xiaoling Zhao, Jinmeng Chen, Jingliang Xu, Yafan Cai and Hanjie Ying
Fermentation 2024, 10(11), 550; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation10110550 - 26 Oct 2024
Viewed by 285
Abstract
The shortage of feed protein has plagued the development of the animal husbandry industry in China. In this study, a new three-stage fermentation technology for producing distillers’ grain feed protein was developed by introducing Aspergillus niger, yeast, and lactic acid bacteria. During [...] Read more.
The shortage of feed protein has plagued the development of the animal husbandry industry in China. In this study, a new three-stage fermentation technology for producing distillers’ grain feed protein was developed by introducing Aspergillus niger, yeast, and lactic acid bacteria. During the aerobic stage, there was a negative correlation between the reducing sugar content in the distillers’ grains and the amount of Aspergillus niger. The maximum reducing sugar concentration (36.89 mg g−1) was obtained when the oxygen supply was 30 mL min−1 and the fermentation time was two days. During the microaerophilic stage, the natural exchange of oxygen achieved optimal true protein enhancement (from 10.8% to 16.4%) among the three oxygen supply modes (natural exchange, forced ventilation, and filling supplement). During the anaerobic stage, lactic acid bacteria were inoculated for feed protein preservation and flavor enhancement. Our results provided insight and practical guidance for the high-value use of distillers’ grains. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application and Research of Solid State Fermentation)
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15 pages, 5487 KiB  
Article
Ordered Changes in Methane Production Performance and Metabolic Pathway Transition of Methanogenic Archaea under Gradually Increasing Sodium Propionate Stress Intensity
by Mengxi Liu, Yuanyuan Li, Zehui Zheng, Lin Li, Jianjun Hao, Shuang Liu, Yaya Wang and Chuanren Qi
Fermentation 2024, 10(4), 201; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation10040201 - 8 Apr 2024
Viewed by 1313
Abstract
This study examined the impact of sodium propionate concentration (0–40 g/L) on the methanogenic archaea in an inoculum which was cultured in basal nutrient medium, exploring its mechanisms and nonlinear stress intensity. The results indicated that at low concentrations, propionate-maintained homeostasis of the [...] Read more.
This study examined the impact of sodium propionate concentration (0–40 g/L) on the methanogenic archaea in an inoculum which was cultured in basal nutrient medium, exploring its mechanisms and nonlinear stress intensity. The results indicated that at low concentrations, propionate-maintained homeostasis of the anaerobic digestion (AD) system and enriched Methanosaeta. However, when the concentration exceeded 16 g/L, the stability of the AD system was disrupted. The methanogenic pathway shifted towards a predominantly hydrogenotrophic pathway, resulting in a significant increase in methane yield. Below concentrations of 28 g/L, the AD system gradually enhanced its ability to utilize propionate in an orderly manner. At concentrations of 24–28 g/L, genera (e.g., Advenella and Methanosarcina) were enriched to adapt to the high-VFA environment. This was accompanied by a significant upregulation of genes related to the methylotrophic and hydrogenotrophic pathways, effectively mitigating propionate inhibition and enhancing methanogenesis. Conversely, excess concentrations (>30 g/L) suppressed methanogenesis-related genes and led to methane production arrest despite activating specialized propionate-metabolizing bacteria such as genus Pelotomaculum schinkii. As such, an increase in the stress intensity of propionate promotes a change in the metabolic pathways of methanogens and increases methane production; however, excessive sodium propionate was not conducive to maintaining the steady state of the system. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application and Research of Solid State Fermentation)
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13 pages, 5026 KiB  
Article
Fermentative Production of L-Theanine in Escherichia coli via the Construction of an Adenosine Triphosphate Regeneration System
by Ruiqi Cao, Shunyang Hu, Yao Lu, Wei Wang, Zhongdan Fu and Jie Cheng
Fermentation 2023, 9(10), 875; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation9100875 - 28 Sep 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2212
Abstract
Theanine is a non-protein amino acid that is highly represented in tea plants and is one of the delicious ingredients in tea. In recent years, the global market demand for theanine has continued to rise, and the industry has developed rapidly. Here, we [...] Read more.
Theanine is a non-protein amino acid that is highly represented in tea plants and is one of the delicious ingredients in tea. In recent years, the global market demand for theanine has continued to rise, and the industry has developed rapidly. Here, we designed and constructed a promising pathway in Escherichia coli to produce L-theanine. This biosynthesis pathway employs four enzymes to achieve the production of L-theanine. This route involves the co-expression of four functional enzymes: γ-glutamylmethylamide synthetase (GMAS) from Methyloversatilis universalis, polyphosphate kinase (PPK) from E. coli, alanine transaminase from Bacillus subtilis (BsAld), and alanine decarboxylase from Camellia sinensis (CsAlaDC). Polyphosphate kinase from Escherichia coli was overexpressed in E. coli FD02, constructing an ATP regeneration system that increased the titer of L-theanine by 13.4% compared to E. coli FD01. A titer of 334 mg/L of L-theanine was produced via engineering strain FD03 in shake flasks. Moreover, glutamine permease from Saccharomyces cereviside (GNP1) was overexpressed in E. coli FD04, and the L-theanine titer increased by 14.7%. Finally, 2.9 g/L of L-theanine was obtained via FD04 in a 1 L bioreactor. In addition, the molecular docking results indicated that L-glutamate could bind to the hydrophobic cavity of GMAS due to the formation of hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions with the surrounding amino acid residues. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application and Research of Solid State Fermentation)
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14 pages, 2865 KiB  
Article
Effects of Fermentation Period on the Non-Volatile Metabolites of Chinese Ultra-Long-Term Solid Fermented Kohlrabi Based on Non-Targeted Metabolomic Analysis
by Xiaohan Jia, Hongfan Chen, Xinyi Wang, Xin Nie, Lu Xiang, Dayu Liu and Zhiping Zhao
Fermentation 2023, 9(8), 753; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation9080753 - 12 Aug 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1592
Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the effects of ultra-long-term fermentation on the formation of non-volatile metabolites of Chinese solid-fermented kohlrabies. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) based non-targeted metabolomics coupled with multivariate statistical analysis were employed to respectively analyze the kohlrabies solid fermented for [...] Read more.
This study aimed to investigate the effects of ultra-long-term fermentation on the formation of non-volatile metabolites of Chinese solid-fermented kohlrabies. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) based non-targeted metabolomics coupled with multivariate statistical analysis were employed to respectively analyze the kohlrabies solid fermented for 5 years (5Y), 8 years (8Y), and 11 years (11Y). The results showed that 31, 169, and 123 differential metabolites were identified in the three groups of 5Y and 8Y (A1), 5Y and 11Y (A2), and 8Y and 11Y (A3), respectively (VIP > 1, p < 0.05 and |log2FC| > 1). The differential non-volatile metabolites were mainly organic acids and derivatives, organoheterocyclic compounds, benzenoids, lipids and lipid-like molecules, and organicoxygen compounds. Furthermore, 11 common differential metabolites were screened in the three groups, including diaminopimelic acid, ectoine, 9,10,13-TriHOME, and 9 others. The citrate cycle, glycine, serine and threonine metabolism, pantothenate and CoA biosynthesis, and glyoxylate and dicarboxylate metabolism were the four pathways most significantly correlated with the differential non-volatile metabolites based on the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis (p < 0.05). The present study describes the effects of ultra-long-term fermentation periods on the formation of non-volatile metabolites in solid fermented kohlrabies, providing a theoretical basis for cooking with the three solid fermented kohlrabies to make different Chinese dishes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application and Research of Solid State Fermentation)
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