Assessment of microbial biomass for production of ecofriendly single-cell protein, bioenergy, and other useful products

The rapidly growing world population has created food supply challenges. To overcome this problem microbial biomass may be the possible solution, as they are able to produce different types of ecofriendly products such as single-cell protein (SCP), bioenergy, minerals, vitamins, and essential fatty acids. The microbial mediated generation of products are a good alternative energy source in our diet. Microorganisms have been used for many years in the production of high protein food content such as cheese and fermented soybean products. The microbes like bacteria, fungi, yeast, and algae have very high protein content in their biomass. These microbes can be developed using inexpensive substrates like agricultural waste viz. wood shavings, sawdust, corn cobs, etc. and even human and animal waste. They are able to utilize the carbon and nitrogen present in these materials and convert them into high-quality proteins which can be used as a supplement in both human and animal feed. Thus the production and utilization of microbial biomass as a source of protein such as SCP, as well as other energy sources have gained particular interest. The SCP production is also useful to alleviate waste disposal problems showing an ecofriendly and sustainable route including reduction of production cost. In addition to proteins, SCP also contains other nutrients such as lipids and vitamins and also has several advantages over conventional proteins. Therefore looking over the significance of microbial synthesized SCP as protein supplements, it is required to assess and develop the microbial biomass for its production on large scale to fulfill the future global requirements.