The invention relates to the use of a microbial composition for regulating the fermentation of such materials, in particular using compositions comprising specific combinations of microorganisms including at least three Lactobacillus species and a yeast species. The present invention further relates to a method for regulating fermentation of cocoa material, such as beans and/or pulp by using a microbial composition as defined herein, and to the fermented cocoa material thereby obtained. The invention also relates to the use of the obtained fermented cocoa material for the preparation of cocoa products and products derived therefrom, including chocolate. The present invention further relates to a method for downstream processing of cocoa beans that have been fermented with a microbial composition as defined herein, and to the downstream products thereby obtained.

The present invention relates to carbon fixation systems, wherein an inorganic carbon source is converted to acetyl-CoA. A system for the generation of acetyl-Coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA), comprising components necessary for the biochemical conversion of an inorganic carbon source into acetyl-CoA, wherein said components comprise: i. a source of reducing equivalents; ii. a light-dependent ion pump that generates an electrochemical ion gradient independently of the generation of reducing equivalents; and iii. a redox-dependent ion pump that generates an electrochemical ion gradient independently of a net change in the number of reducing equivalents.

The invention relates to a micro-organism comprising a hydrogenase enzyme system which is capable of converting carbon dioxide into formic acid and a second enzyme system which is capable of converting formic acid into aliphatic carboxylic acids having a chain length of five or more carbon atoms. Also described are various methods for producing oil, as well as other aspects of the invention.

A material with a scaffold comprising a series of at least partially spaced fibers and gas vesicles locates between fibers. The gas vesicles comprise external anchoring modules that are effective to anchor the gas vesicles to the fibers.

Integrated process for providing multiple raw materials to a downstream operation to generate an article of manufacture. Pyrolysis, torrefaction, reforming, partial oxidation, and/or gasification is integrated with gas fermentation. Integrated process converts carbon sources that would otherwise be vented to the atmosphere or discarded as waste to a fermentation product and one or more byproducts, which in turn are provided to a downstream operation to generate an article of manufacture. In certain aspects, the fermentation product may be ethanol, isoprene, butane diol, ethylene. In certain aspects, the byproduct may be metal, metal oxide, char, silica, and or steel. The downstream operation to generate an article of manufacture may be an operation to generate plastic products, rubber products, textiles, clothes, and the like.

A method for obtaining bacterial cellulose from the vinegar isolate Komagataeibacter sp GUS3, which produces 1.6440,4016 g/L cellulose.

An acetic acid bacteria-containing composition comprising nonanal and methylheptenone, and having a peak area ratio of nonanal to methylheptenone (nonanal:methylheptenone), as determined by stir bar sorptive extraction thermal desorption gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (SBSE-GC/MS), of 1:10 to 100:1.

A method for producing vinegar is provided. The method includes fermenting a fermentation liquid including acetic acid-producing bacteria under specific conditions. These conditions include: the fermentation liquid's absorbance at 660 nm changes at a rate of 0.2/h or more within 3 hours from a key time point; the ratio of the alcohol concentration to the sum of acidity and alcohol concentration increase at a rate of 0.2/h or more in the same period; and the average alcohol concentration during the fermentation step, defined from the key time point to when aeration or stirring is stopped for 15 minutes, is 0.2 v/v % or more.

Microbial cell lines suitable for industrial-scale production of organic acids and methods of making and isolating such cell lines, and using the cell lines for production of organic acids.