Purple non-sulfur bacteria: ideal microbial cell factories for the biotransformation of agro-industrial wastes into high-added-value molecules

This research focused on the valorization of agro-industrial and food wastes, particularly bread waste and second cheese whey, through integrated dark fermentation and photofermentation processes involving purple non-sulfur bacteria for the sustainable production of bio-hydrogen and poly-β-hydroxybutyrate. It further explored the use of selected light wavelengths to enhance the biosynthesis of high-added-value molecules, while also evaluating the scalability of the process. In parallel, a genome-scale metabolic model of Rhodopseudomonas palustris 42OL was developed to analyse metabolic fluxes and support future metabolic engineering strategies.