Opinion Piece on Growth-Coupled Bioproduction Published for COBIOT

24.11.2025

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Growth-coupled bioproduction is a powerful strategy that links production to metabolic activity. However, we frequently encounter misunderstandings when discussing this concept with bioprocess engineers. This motivated us to write this article, to iron out any misunderstandings arising from the terminology. Here, we clarify these misconceptions and explain the advantages of such metabolic setups, using nature’s most striking examples of growth-coupled bioproduction: anaerobic fermentation. Furthermore, we address current limitations in the design of growth-coupled systems, as there is a current lack of in silico tools and therefore the design still relies on arcane metabolic intuition.

Many thanks to Elad Noor for the assistance, polishing and writing!

Best wishes from the Growth-coupled bioproduction elves at the lab