Research line Prof. Jeroen Hugenholtz
As a crucial part of the developing Biobased Economy, the chemical industry is looking for alternative, sustainable, production processes for all/most of their bulk and fine chemicals, fuels, pharmaceuticals and food ingredients. Microbial fermentation is one of the key technologies for biobased production of these chemicals. The work, focusses on three areas of fermentation: (i) Anaerobic fermentation, involving Clostridium, for production of various alcohols from (biological) waste streams and C1-gasses (syngas), (ii) Lipid-producing and lipid-converting microorganisms such as Cryptococcus and Pseudomonas that can produce and convert various medium- and long-chain fatty acids, and (iii) Lactic acid bacteria as producer of natural flavors, of preservatives and for nutritional enrichment of food products. The described work is an important part of the Amsterdam Green Campus