Genome shuffling: A new trend in improved bacterial production of lactic acid

Lactic acid is an environment-friendly chemical with a wide range of industrial applications that is the focus of researchers and biotechnologists worldwide. The economic production of lactic acid can be achieved by exploiting various biotechnological techniques. Among these is the improvement of microorganism strains for industrially desirable characteristics such as high yield and productivity of lactic acid and the ability to grow at low pH and to utilize complex agro-industrial wastes. Whole genome shuffling combines the advantages of dissimilar parents by allowing parental DNA shuffling and hence is believed to improve the characteristics of strains controlled by multiple genes. Recursive genomic recombination within a population of fusant microorganisms can generate strains efficiently with an amplified desirable phenotype. © Copyright 2010, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc..