Non-conventional yeasts as superior production platforms for sustainable fermentation based bio-manufacturing processes
Clara Navarrete, José L. Martínez
Abstract
Non-conventional yeasts are an excellent option for a number of different industrial bioprocesses. They possess beneficial natural phenotypes, which translates to several fermentation advantages when compared to traditional hosts, like <i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i>. The non-conventional yeasts <i>Yarrowia lipolytica</i>, <i>Trichosporon oleaginosus</i>, <i>Kluyveromyces marxianus</i>, <i>Dekkera bruxellensis</i>, <i>Pichia kudriavzevii</i>, <i>Debaryomyces hansenii</i> and <i>Hansenula polymorpha</i>, are considered desirable industrial hosts due to their natural characteristics, including tolerance to several by-products and inhibitors, thermotolerance, salt resistance or osmo- and xerotolerance. Therefore, they are a great alternative for the industrial production of bioethanol, fine chemicals, lipids and recombinant proteins, among others. In this review, we summarize the best natural characteristics of those seven non-conventional yeasts and their use in industrial biotechnology, as well as the molecular/synthetic biology tools available for their genetic modification. Moreover, possible limitations regarding their performance in industrial fermentations and a list of challenges to overcome in the future are also discussed.