In our group, we focus on the use of new bacterial strains isolated from the environment that can grow on CO2 as the main or only carbon source. Alternatively, the liquid and solid wastes from industrial and agricultural production chains can be used as feedstock for the microorganisms. This approach aims to create closed production loops for various industries, especially those that produce large volumes of waste streams. The successful production of a Single Cell Protein requires an establishment of a several steps process: strain isolation and characterization, fermentation, removal of nucleic acid and other undesired substances, and protein purification. Our services include: – Isolation and characterization of new microbial strains from environment for SCP production – Optimization of media for enhanced bacterial growth, and production of microbial biomass and protein with improved nutritional quality – Process optimization under knallgass, microaerophilic or anaerobic conditions – Downstream processing for isolation of proteins for food and feed applications.

Monika Konarzycka-Bessler

- Host institution: Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME
- Position: Principal investigator
- Discipline: Biochemistry, Bioengineering, Biology, Cellular biology, Microbiology
- Alternative protein type: Fermentation
- Collaboration opportunities: Industry partnership, Joint research
- Hiring for: Undergraduate students
- Region: Europe
- Technology focus: Bioprocess design, Feedstock optimization, Ingredient optimization, Strain development, Target molecule selection
- Location: Schmallenberg, Germany