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Technical University of Munich

PRO-SUGAR: Fungal PROduction Systems Utilizing D-Galacturonic Acid-rich agricultural Residues

Link to the former homepage of the PRO-SUGAR project
As part of the BMBF's Bioeconomy 2030 strategy, PRO-SUGAR aims to use molecular biological and genetic methods to develop new industrial production and application options for green chemicals from agricultural and forestry waste streams.
  PRO-SUGAR focuses on waste that is rich in the plant cell wall component pectin. Residues from fruit and vegetable processing, such as apple pomace and sugar beet pulp, are particularly suitable for this purpose. The main sugar component contained therein, D-galacturonic acid, is first to be extracted in a two-stage process with the help of optimised fungal strains and then, in the course of a bioconversion, specifically converted into versatile platform chemicals - so-called polyhydroxy acids. These are currently similar in structure to conventionally produced acidifiers, stabilisers and raising agents in the food and cosmetics industry, but promise to have new, functional properties and have added ecological value due to the sustainable production method from renewable raw materials.
  At the Chair of Wood Bioprocesses, particular attention is paid to strain engineering in Aspergillus niger in order to realise a more efficient enzymatic depolymerisation of pectin-rich biomass for the industrial production of galacturonic acid. In addition to targeted transcription factor engineering and selective adaptations in galacturonic acid metabolism, current technologies such as CRISPR/Cas9 are also used for genome editing. In cooperation with the Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, yeast strains are also being developed for the biotransformation of galacturonic acid to polyhydroxy acids. The Chair of Bioprocess Engineering at the TU Munich develops and supervises the process engineering implementation of galacturonic acid extraction as well as its biotransformation.
Duration 2017-2020
Editing Kevin Schmitz (TUM, Holz-Bioprozesse), Dominik Schäfer (TUM, Bioverfahrenstechnik), Simon Harth (Goethe-Universität Frankfurt a.M., Physiologie und Genetik niederer Eukaryoten), Jacqueline Wagner (TUM, Bioverfahrenstechnik), Dr. Mislav Oreb, (Goethe-Universität Frankfurt a.M., Physiologie und Genetik niederer Eukaryoten), Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dirk Weuster-Botz (TUM, Lehrstuhl für Bioverfahrenstechnik), Prof. Dr. J. Philipp Benz (TUM, Professur Holz-Bioprozesse)
Funding
Partner
   
   
   

Publications

  • Vidal ML, Wittenkamp T, Benz JP, Jekle M, Becker T (2023) A dynamic micro-scale dough foaming and baking analysis – Comparison of dough inflation based on different leavening agents. Food Research International 164, 112342. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2022.112342
  • Wagner J, Schäfer D, von den Eichen N, Haimerl C, Harth S, Oreb M, Benz JP, Weuster-Botz D, 2021. D-Galacturonic acid reduction by S. cerevisiae for L-galactonate production from extracted sugar beet press pulp hydrolysate. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-021-11433-5
  • Harth S, Wagner J, Sens T, Choe JY, Benz JP, Weuster-Botz D, Oreb M, 2020. Engineering cofactor supply and NADH-dependent D-galacturonic acid reductases for redox-balanced production of L-galactonate in Saccharomyces cerevisiae; Scientific Reports 10(1), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-75926-5
  • Schäfer D, Schmitz K, Weuster-Botz D, Benz JP, 2020. Comparative evaluation of Aspergillus niger strains for endogenous pectin-depolymerization capacity and suitability for D-galacturonic acid production. Bioprocess & Biosystems Engineering, doi: 10.1007/s00449-020-02347-z. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00449-020-02347-z
  • Schmitz K, Protzko R, Zhang L, Benz JP, 2019. Spotlight on fungal pectin utilization-from phytopathogenicity to molecular recognition and industrial applications. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology 103 (6), p. 2507–2524. doi: 10.1007/s00253-019-09622-4. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-019-09622-4
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