Commercial Products of Microbes: An Overview

Abstract

Microbial bioprocesses have transformed industrial biotechnology, facilitating the sustainable manufacture of many commercial and medicinal goods. This chapter examines innovative developments in microbial engineering for the synthesis of antibiotics (e.g., CRISPR-enhanced Streptomyces), biopolymers (PHAs and PLA), and biofuels (algal biodiesel and yeast bioethanol). This emphasizes recombinant expression systems—Escherichia coli for insulin, yeast for monoclonal antibodies, and CHO cells for biologics, demonstrating their function as scalable bioplatforms. The literature encompasses treatments developed from microbes, such as anti-HIV drugs (cyanovirin-N), anticancer compounds (Taxol precursors), and anti-inflammatory postbiotics. Innovations in genetic tools, such as CRISPR-Cas9 and AI-driven metabolic modeling, as well as heterologous systems, are discussed, along with scalability, metabolic burden, and regulatory obstacles. Emerging concepts such as 3D-bioprinted bioreactors and microbiome engineering highlight the prospective capabilities of microbial bioprocesses in tackling global health and environmental challenges. The above discussion highlights bacteria as essential biofactories propelling the forthcoming era of biotechnological advancement. Graphical Abstract © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2026.