Microbial consortium engineering for the improvement of biochemicals production

Abstract

Microbes forming close association or “complex community” with other microbes are known as a consortium. Manipulating these consortia for the broader benefits is termed as “microbial consortium engineering.” Microbial consortium engineering has lately been used in a wide variety of applications starting from the production of chemicals and bio-molecules to environmental aspects such as remediation. However, this engineering requires more control over microbial composition and behavior. A database that contains complete information about nutrients, culture, and metabolite profiles of microbes needs to be created for the selection of microbes to construct a consortium. Furthermore, new techniques need to be introduced to study community profiles and interactions between microbes in consortia culture. New methods are needed for the long-term preservation and storage of mixed microbial cultures. This might open doors to new facets within microbial consortium engineering for the greater benefits of mankind at the same time preserving the environment. © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.