Corn-stalk sugars feed new bacterial strain designed to make useful chemicals
Engineers have developed a strain of a common bacterial species that can feed exclusively on the three major sugars present in corn stalks. While the new multiple-sugar-consuming strain of the bacterium Pseudomonas putida is interesting in its own right, a new paper published in Nature Communications on July 29, 2026, outlines the broader implications of this project for the future of…
Engineers at the University of California San Diego have developed a new strain of Pseudomonas putida bacteria that can efficiently consume the three main sugars present in corn stalks. The research, published in Nature Communications on July 29, 2026, has significant implications for the future of biomanufacturing. By leveraging evolution and an automated culturing platform, the team created versatile generalist bacterial strains capable of utilizing mixed feedstocks, which are ideal for low-cost biomanufacturing.
The key was evolving strains under specific mixed-sugar conditions that required complete consumption of all three sugars for the strains to outcompete other variants. This approach produced strains that were highly adaptable rather than narrow specialists. The engineered bacteria were then used to produce indigoidine, a valuable blue pigment, demonstrating the potential for utilizing agricultural waste and mixed plastics as feedstocks in biomanufacturing.
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