Open Access Publication of the Month – Michael Bott (IBG-1) and Volker F. Wendisch (Bielefeld University)
7 April 2025
To encourage us all to broaden our horizons, each month the Central Library selects one open access publication from the JuSER publications portal to be featured in the newsletter of Forschungszentrum Jülich.
In April’s open access publication, Michael Bott (IBG-1) and Volker F. Wendisch (Bielefeld University) write about the discovery of the glutamate-secreting bacterium Corynebacterium glutamicum and its major significance in industrial biotechnology.
Humans have five basic tastes that are recognized by specialized receptors on the tongue: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami. The umami taste, which means “savoury” or “brothy”, is triggered by monosodium glutamate (MSG), the salt of one of the 20 amino acids in proteins. To enhance this flavour in food, MSG is added to it in a purified, crystalline form. Corynebacterium glutamicum was isolated because it overproduces MSG from sugar and ammonium under certain conditions. This process is currently used to produce more than three million tonnes of MSG per year. This bacterium is also used industrially for the production of other amino acids, in particular the feed additive lysine. It therefore plays an important role in the bioeconomy.
As a result of intensive research, Corynebacterium glutamicum has become an important model organism in biotechnology. Its metabolism is very well understood and it can be used for the production of many other products besides amino acids. IBG-1 – Biotechnology has made significant contributions to the understanding and utilization of Corynebacterium glutamicum. The bacterium was named Microbe of the Year 2025 by the Association for General and Applied Microbiology (VAAM).
Association for General and Applied Microbiology (VAAM) – Microbe of the Year 2025
The open access publication entitled “Corynebacterium glutamicum: vom Umami-Geschmack zur Bioökonomie” (Corynebacterium glutamicum: from umami flavour to the bioeconomy) was published in the journal BIOspektrum.
JuSER publications portal – Corynebacterium glutamicum: vom Umami-Geschmack zur Bioökonomie (in German)
Forschungszentrum Jülich – Central Library (ZB) – Open Access
Forschungszentrum Jülich – Institute of Bio- and Geosciences (IBG) – Biotechnology (IBG-1)