The disclosure relates to a metabolic transistor in microbes such as bacteria and yeast where a competitive pathway is introduced to compete with a product pathway for available carbon so as to control the carbon flux in the microbe.

Disclosed are modified strains of Chlorella vulgaris having a very low chlorophyll content. Also disclosed is a method for producing them. The method involves performing mutagenesis of a parental strain of Chlorella vulgaris. Furthermore, disclosed is a composition comprising algae biomass derived from the modified strains of Chlorella vulgaris and their use in food and/or cosmetics amongst other applications.

The disclosure relates to a metabolic transistor in microbes such as bacteria and yeast where a competitive pathway is introduced to compete with a product pathway for available carbon so as to control the carbon flux in the microbe.

The present invention introduces an innovative approach for the manipulation of microorganisms to generate colored bioplastics. This is achieved by concurrently expressing genes responsible for pigment production and genes involved in bioplastic synthesis within a microbial host. These genes can be synthesized, obtained from a different host through cloning, or naturally occurring within the host organism. The resultant color compounds become encapsulated within the extended bioplastic polymers within the cells, resulting in the formation of naturally pigmented bioplastics.