Industrial production of D-psicose 3-epimerase: Scale-up, optimization, and new fermentative platforms

• Grant number: 25/02384-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Post-doctor
• Start date: April 01, 2025
• End date: March 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Microbiology - Applied Microbiology
• Principal Investigator: Eliana Gertrudes de Macedo Lemos
• Grantee: Cleiton Dias do Prado
• Supervisor: Francisco Vitor Santos da Silva
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias (FCAV). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Jaboticabal. Jaboticabal , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University College Cork (UCC), Ireland
• Associated to the scholarship: 22/13149-1 - BIOMASS BIOREFINARY FOR RARE SUGAR PRODUCTION, BP.PD

Abstract

This international collaboration proposal aims to characterize and optimize the pilot-scale production of the enzyme D-psicose 3-epimerase, as well as to develop new fermentative platforms. The expertise of Prof. Dr. Francisco Vitor Santos da Silva group in optimizing fermentative processes will be essential for producing the enzyme at pilot scale and understanding the process dynamics. The collaboration also involves developing an innovative fermentative platform by cloning the enzyme gene in Kluyveromyces yeast, which may reduce costs and facilitate industrial application of the production. This collaboration will enable real-time monitoring of fermentation at small scales using the BioLector platform, allowing the evaluation of critical parameters for optimization and simultaneous testing under different conditions. The combined use of these techniques will allow a detailed analysis of the effects of fermentative parameters on process optimization, the enzyme's catalytic activity, and production efficiency in yeast.