Lignocellulosic materials valorization in second generation biorefineries: an opportunity to produce fungal biopigments

Abstract

Second generation biorefineries play an important role in the production of renewable energy and fuels, utilizing forest and agro-industrial residues and by-products as raw materials. The integration of novel bioproducts, such as: xylitol, β-carotene, xylooligosaccharides, and biopigments into the biorefinery’s portfolio can offer economic benefits in the valorization of lignocellulosic materials, particularly cellulosic and hemicellulosic fractions. Fungal biopigments, known for their additional antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, are appealing to consumers and can have applications in various industrial sectors, including food and pharmaceuticals. The use of lignocellulosic materials as carbon and nutrient sources for the growth medium helps to reduce production costs, increasing the competitiveness of fungal biopigments in the market. In addition, the implementation of biopigment production in biorefineries allows the utilization of underutilized fractions, such as hemicellulose, for value-added bioproducts. This study deals with the potential of fungal biopigments production in second generation biorefineries in order to diversify the produced biomolecules together with energy generation. A comprehensive and critical review of the recent literature on this topic has been conducted, covering the major possible raw materials, general aspects of second generation biorefineries, the fungal biopigments and their potential for incorporation into biorefineries.

Graphical Abstract

Keywords:

• Second generation biorefinery
• fungal biopigments
• lignocellulosic biomass
• solid state fermentation
• submerged fermentation
• yeast bioproducts
• filamentous fungi

Author contributions

All authors contributed to the conceptualization and methodology used in this review. G.L.A., M.T.F.R.R., M.M.C.-S, V.P.S., F.M.J., and C.A.P. performed the data search, analyzed the literature, and drafted the paper. S.S.S, S.I.M, and J.C.S. supervised and directed the research and edited the original draft. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Declaration of AI and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process

During the preparation of this study, the authors used the free version of CHATGPT (provided by OpenAI, San Francisco, California, U.S.; available at https://openai.com/blog/chatgpt) to partially aid with the language edition. After, the authors reviewed and edited the content as needed and take full responsibility for the content of the publication.

Additional information

Funding

This research was funded by the Novo Nordisk Foundation (NNF), Denmark [grant number: NNF20SA0066233], Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES), Brazil [Finance code 001], and Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq), Brazil [grant number: 305416/2021-9].