Microbial metabolite production from agricultural and industrial waste for food industry applications
Biotechnology platform that converts waste products (glycerol, fruit pomace, wheat bran) into high-value microbial metabolites including carotenoid pigments, vitamins (B12), organic acids (propionic, acetic), single-cell protein, single-cell oil, enzymes, and fats for food industry use, supporting circular economy goals.
Overview
This research program develops biotechnological methods for converting problematic agricultural and industrial waste streams into valuable microbial metabolites. By using waste products such as glycerol, potato juice water, apple and haskap pomace, grape pomace, and wheat bran as components of microbiological growth media, the laboratory cultivates selected bacteria and yeast strains to produce compounds with applications across the food industry. The approach addresses two challenges simultaneously: reducing the environmental burden of waste disposal while generating high-value bio-based products including carotenoid pigments, vitamins, organic acids, enzymes, single-cell protein, and single-cell oil.
The platform supports circular economy objectives by transforming by-products that lack rational management concepts into marketable ingredients, offering food manufacturers sustainable sourcing alternatives for functional and nutritional compounds.
Technical specifications
Waste substrates evaluated:
- Glycerol
- Potato juice water
- Apple pomace
- Haskap pomace
- Grape pomace
- Wheat bran
Target microbial metabolites:
- Carotenoid pigments (natural dyes)
- Vitamin B12
- Propionic acid and acetic acid for food applications
- Single-cell protein
- Single-cell oil and fats
- Microbiological enzymes
Process approach:
- Strain selection and inoculum preparation for bacteria and yeast cultivation
- Use of fruit and vegetable pomace as nutrient sources for bacterial production of organic acids, storage substances, and vitamin B12
- Analytical determination of protein, sugars, carotenoids, lipids, and fatty acid profiles in yeast cells after cultivation in waste-based media
- Optimization based on microbial growth rate, which determines the degree of waste biodegradation and process economics
Technology readiness level
The research program builds on multiple years of laboratory experience assessing waste utilization as microbiological media components. Validation work to date has covered cultivation of bacteria and yeast on various waste substrates and characterization of resulting metabolites. Future validation will focus on inoculum preparation and strain selection, targeted production of propionic acid, acetic acid, storage substances, and vitamin B12 by bacteria using fruit and vegetable pomace, and comprehensive profiling of yeast cell composition after cultivation in waste media. The program is positioned at laboratory-to-pilot scale development, with ongoing characterization of process performance and metabolite yields.
About Warsaw University of Life Sciences
Warsaw University of Life Sciences is a comprehensive public research university focused on life and environmental systems, based on a modern campus in Warsaw. Industry engages on site through co-located experimental farms and field stations, controlled-environment greenhouses, pilot-scale processing lines, and a veterinary teaching hospital enabling clinical translation. Being in Poland’s capital provides direct access to government ministries, corporate headquarters, and a growing startup scene, supporting contract research and talent pipelines via internships and thesis collaborations. Research is supported by competitive national and European Union funding programmes. A dedicated technology transfer office provides IP and licensing support and helps launch spinouts.
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