The team at the Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, has made progress in the one-step fermentation of biomass to produce glutamic acid. Researchers used a metabolic network model to analyze the glutamic acid production potential of the thermophilic fungus Myceliophthora thermophila, then used an engineered strain to directly ferment cellulose and natural corncobs, coupling biomass degradation and glutamic acid production in the same system.

A key feature of this research is that feedstock degradation and target-product synthesis are combined in a single fermentation system, without the need for complex pretreatment or enzymatic hydrolysis. Compared with production routes that rely on conventional starch-based feedstocks, this method offers a new research direction for producing amino acids from non-food biomass.

From an application perspective, simplified processing is a noteworthy feature of this technical route. However, research progress does not mean that the technology is already ready for industrialization. Fermentation efficiency, production costs, and process stability upon scale-up still need to be assessed before its practical application potential and green, low-carbon benefits can be further evaluated.