(AU2016366227 (A1)) is concerned with consolidated bioprocessing, using a single platform
for the complete deconstruction of lignocellulose. Where mentioned, the agricultural and
industrial outlets for these enzymes included
enhancing the nutritional value of livestock
feeds and the need for enzymes as alternatives
to caustic chemicals in the paper and pulping
industry.
The remaining 30% of patents do not use
molecular methodologies and are concerned
with water cleanup or supplements and additives to enhance anaerobic fungal activity in the
rumen or improve the nutritional value of livestock feeds. Six of the more recent patents from
China describe the use of anaerobic fungal cultures with or without co-cultured methanogens
in green chemistry applications for sustainable
chemical production, the production of acetic
acid, formic acid, methane, ethanol, and
enzymes. The two bioaugmentation patents
from Turkey are concerned with the addition
of anaerobic fungi for enhanced methane production in laboratory-scale bioreactors.
It is not possible to judge the extent of
exploitation of anaerobic fungi in industrial
processes from a listing of their published
patents. However, for the 30% of patents
concerned with non-molecular inventions, due
to limitations in large-scale anaerobic fungal
culture technology, exploitation of these inventions appears remote at the present time. For
the 70% majority of inventions, those
concerned with gene characterization and the
transformation and activity of novel processes
in heterologous hosts, some exploitation is
already apparent, and progress will be dependent upon improvements over what is achievable in conventional systems.
V. Conclusions
During the last 50 years, substantial progress in
anaerobic gut fungal research has been
achieved. This work has improved our understanding of their life cycle, evolutionary history,
and ecological roles. Anaerobic gut fungi possess multiple unique properties that render
them exceptional for biotechnological applications involving plant biomass deconstruction,
which also bridge to direct applications in agriculture, biofuel, and bio-based chemical production.
Insights
into
high-resolution
genomes of anaerobic fungi provided by the
recent application of “omics” techniques offer
new opportunities to identify biomassdegrading enzymes, metabolic pathways, and
other biotech-relevant proteins and small molecules sourced from the Neocallimastigomycota.
Nevertheless, anaerobic fungi have not yet been
widely employed in large-scale industrial processes owing to their relatively slow and strict
growth requirements, along with difficulties in
their genomic manipulation. Future adoption
of anaerobic fungi (and their proteins and pathways) in biotechnology relies on continued
investment in their understanding at all
levels—from the need to isolate and characterize additional strains, to the development of
universal genomic editing strategies for strain
engineering. Closing the existing gaps of
knowledge on anaerobic gut fungal ecology,
physiology, and genomics will remove current
obstacles hampering their utilization and allow
their biotechnological application in the future.
References
Aditiya HB, Mahlia TMI, Chong WT, Nur H, Sebayang
AH (2016) Second generation bioethanol production: a critical review. Renew Sustain Energy Rev
66:631–653.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.
rser.2016.07.015
Ali BRS, Zhou L, Graves FM, Freedman RB, Black GW,
Gilbert HJ, Hazlewood GP (1995) Cellulases and
hemicellulases of the anaerobic fungus Piromyces
constitute a multiprotein cellulose-binding complex and are encoded by multigene families. FEMS
Microbiol Lett 125(1):15–22. https://doi.org/
10.1111/j.1574-6968.1995.tb07329.x
Aydin S, Yildirim E, Ince O, Ince B (2017) Rumen
anaerobic fungi create new opportunities for
enhanced methane production from microalgae
biomass. Algal Res 23:150–160. https://doi.org/
10.1016/j.algal.2016.12.016
Balat M, Balat H (2009) Recent trends in global production and utilization of bio-ethanol fuel. Appl
Energy 86:2273–2282. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.
apenergy.2009.03.015
17 The Biotechnological Potential of Anaerobic Gut Fungi
429
for the complete deconstruction of lignocellulose. Where mentioned, the agricultural and
industrial outlets for these enzymes included
enhancing the nutritional value of livestock
feeds and the need for enzymes as alternatives
to caustic chemicals in the paper and pulping
industry.
The remaining 30% of patents do not use
molecular methodologies and are concerned
with water cleanup or supplements and additives to enhance anaerobic fungal activity in the
rumen or improve the nutritional value of livestock feeds. Six of the more recent patents from
China describe the use of anaerobic fungal cultures with or without co-cultured methanogens
in green chemistry applications for sustainable
chemical production, the production of acetic
acid, formic acid, methane, ethanol, and
enzymes. The two bioaugmentation patents
from Turkey are concerned with the addition
of anaerobic fungi for enhanced methane production in laboratory-scale bioreactors.
It is not possible to judge the extent of
exploitation of anaerobic fungi in industrial
processes from a listing of their published
patents. However, for the 30% of patents
concerned with non-molecular inventions, due
to limitations in large-scale anaerobic fungal
culture technology, exploitation of these inventions appears remote at the present time. For
the 70% majority of inventions, those
concerned with gene characterization and the
transformation and activity of novel processes
in heterologous hosts, some exploitation is
already apparent, and progress will be dependent upon improvements over what is achievable in conventional systems.
V. Conclusions
During the last 50 years, substantial progress in
anaerobic gut fungal research has been
achieved. This work has improved our understanding of their life cycle, evolutionary history,
and ecological roles. Anaerobic gut fungi possess multiple unique properties that render
them exceptional for biotechnological applications involving plant biomass deconstruction,
which also bridge to direct applications in agriculture, biofuel, and bio-based chemical production.
Insights
into
high-resolution
genomes of anaerobic fungi provided by the
recent application of “omics” techniques offer
new opportunities to identify biomassdegrading enzymes, metabolic pathways, and
other biotech-relevant proteins and small molecules sourced from the Neocallimastigomycota.
Nevertheless, anaerobic fungi have not yet been
widely employed in large-scale industrial processes owing to their relatively slow and strict
growth requirements, along with difficulties in
their genomic manipulation. Future adoption
of anaerobic fungi (and their proteins and pathways) in biotechnology relies on continued
investment in their understanding at all
levels—from the need to isolate and characterize additional strains, to the development of
universal genomic editing strategies for strain
engineering. Closing the existing gaps of
knowledge on anaerobic gut fungal ecology,
physiology, and genomics will remove current
obstacles hampering their utilization and allow
their biotechnological application in the future.
References
Aditiya HB, Mahlia TMI, Chong WT, Nur H, Sebayang
AH (2016) Second generation bioethanol production: a critical review. Renew Sustain Energy Rev
66:631–653.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.
rser.2016.07.015
Ali BRS, Zhou L, Graves FM, Freedman RB, Black GW,
Gilbert HJ, Hazlewood GP (1995) Cellulases and
hemicellulases of the anaerobic fungus Piromyces
constitute a multiprotein cellulose-binding complex and are encoded by multigene families. FEMS
Microbiol Lett 125(1):15–22. https://doi.org/
10.1111/j.1574-6968.1995.tb07329.x
Aydin S, Yildirim E, Ince O, Ince B (2017) Rumen
anaerobic fungi create new opportunities for
enhanced methane production from microalgae
biomass. Algal Res 23:150–160. https://doi.org/
10.1016/j.algal.2016.12.016
Balat M, Balat H (2009) Recent trends in global production and utilization of bio-ethanol fuel. Appl
Energy 86:2273–2282. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.
apenergy.2009.03.015
17 The Biotechnological Potential of Anaerobic Gut Fungi
429