Abstract
The title of my editorial was inspired by the Commentary from Bob Horton, NNFCC, York, United Kingdom, entitled “Beyond Food: Animals and the Bioeconomy.” Horton's Commentary provides us with several examples of where the biological landscape provides models for using renewable carbon to create products for the bioeconomy. His review of the several biologically inspired methods for producing spider silk is an excellent example of the diversity of models at our disposal; whether it is the rearing of spiders, producing the essential spider silk proteins through fermentation and subsequent spinning, or the genetic engineering of silkworms, we are not at a lost for biological models to generate innovative solutions for the bioeconomy. He also reminds us of the vast amounts of by-products generated by animal production, such as chitin obtained from waste shells, and the opportunities to utilize these by-products to produce biomaterials and chemicals. In addition, we are reminded that as we pursue these diverse animal models for industrial biotechnology innovation we need to “reduce the burden on animals” by addressing ethical and environmental issues.
Our colleagues from the Scottish Enterprise, Glasgow, Scotland remind us that that there are diverse sources of renewable carbon that can be tapped to produce green energy and products. The list of carbon sources under consideration for Scottish biorefineries include whiskey co-products, municipal solid wastes and food processing by-products, and agricultural, forestry and marine biomass. The Scottish Enterprise believe that Scotland is in an excellent position to exploit these carbon sources because of their volume and availability, the experience base that exists in the country, and the extensive academic and industrial research expertise available. We are also provided with a series of steps and milestones that need to be met to expand biorefinery opportunities in Scotland. It is reassuring to see the biorefinery opportunities being explored around the globe.
Although much of the doings in our community is biological inspired, we have been adaptive at leveraging discoveries and technological breakthroughs from other fields of science and technology. For example, in a Catalyzing Innovation from Nuria López Aznar, AIMPLAS (Paterna, Spain), we learn about the need to improve the chemical, thermal and hydrolytic properties of renewable and biodegradable polylactic acid (PLA), and the role of chemical and physical approaches for achieving this improvement. It is also a compelling story about how stakeholders, in this case the European Union and textile companies, have come together to drive innovation for improving PLA properties. How we organize and fund our innovation activities is an important part of the story that we tell in the pages of IB.
Another example of drawing inspiration from other areas of scientific discovery and technological innovation comes from one of our Editorial Board members, Joseph Byrum, Ph.D., Principal Financial Group (Des Moines, IA). Dr. Byrum shares some of his thoughts on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its impact on genetic inspired plant breeding. AI and Big Data (large database management and data analytics) are important technologies for the life sciences, and life science technology innovation will play a role in our effort to generate innovative biological solutions to food, energy, water and carbon challenges. Dr. Byrum's Commentary explores some of the opportunities and challenges that AI have created for generating innovative solutions to sustainable human development.
Research and development are key to innovation within the diverse biological landscapes that inspire us. Thus, in this IB issue, we hear from our German colleagues—Josipa Liscar, Masoud Sedaghati, Jendrik Hof, Marek Mösche, and Stephan Barbe—about new perspectives for biomolecules recovery using Baker's yeast. Baker's yeast is an old and familiar biological model that we in the industrial biotechnology community have come to rely on for biologically inspired innovation. This diverse landscape is also yielding novel biological models such as red yeasts of the Sporodiobolus genus, which is the focus of a research article by our Brazilian colleagues Rosicler Colet, Letícia Urnau, Guilherme De Souza Hassemer, Bruna Bernar Dias, Jamile Zeni, Eliseu Rodrigues, Rosângela Assis Jacques, Marco Di Luccio, and Eunice Valduga. We also have a story from another group of Brazilian colleagues—Jacqueline Rodrigues Pires da Silva, Felipe Pereira da Costa, Lindomar Alberto Lerin, Jorge Luiz Ninow, J. Vladimir Oliveira, and Débora de Oliveira—on diverse methodologies to produce fatty acid esters from animal waste. Working the nexus of science and technology broadly continues to be core to our innovation activities.
Through the eyes of our many IB contributors, our readers are provided a unique vantage point for viewing the broad and diverse biological landscape that we leverage for industrial biotechnology innovation. This view is a mosaic of life scientific research and technological and business innovation, colored by the social and environmental needs of our global community. This mosaic changes around the world—to reflect regional and local resources and needs—as well as temporally as new scientific discoveries and technologies emerge from our collective research and development activities. It is a dynamic landscape that is continuing to provide new possibilities for industrial biotechnology innovation. In many respects, it is an exciting landscape to play in!