The book examines the use of microorganisms and the microbiome in human health, food production, industrial use, bioremediation, and sustainable agriculture.
Head of Faculty of Science at South East Technological University (SETU) Carlow, Dr David Dowling is co-editor of a new book exploring the positive and helpful contributions made by microorganisms. In ‘Good Microbes in Medicine, Food Production, Biotechnology, Bioremediation, and Agriculture’, a team of distinguished researchers deliver a comprehensive and eye-opening look at the positive side of bacteria and other microbes.
Appealing to students, lecturers and researchers
Dr Dowling started this project in March 2020 as we were entering lockdown and along with his co-editors and contributors to the different chapters, has produced a book with a broad appeal to students, lecturers and researchers in the field of microbiology and biotechnology. Two of the book’s chapters are written by SETU enviroCore researchers, Dr Kieran Germaine and Dr John Cleary and their PhD students, Robert Conlon and Lorianne Murphy.
From food allergies to food production
Divided into five sections, the book examines the use of microorganisms and the microbiome in human health, food production, industrial use, bioremediation, and sustainable agriculture. Coverage spans from food allergies, skin disorders, microbial food preservation and fermentation of various beverages and food products. From an ethical perspective, there is a focus on the beneficial use of microbes in biotechnology, industry, bioeconomy, environmental remediation such as resource recovery, microbial-based environmental clean-up, plant-microbe interactions in biorestoration, biological control of plant diseases, and biological nitrogen fixation.
Basic knowledge, practical discussions and more
Commenting on the appeal of the book to those interested or involved in this field, Dr Dowling said, “the book provides basic knowledge on bacterial biology, biochemistry, genetics, and genomics of beneficial microbes. It also includes practical discussions on microbial biotechnology and features a comprehensive introduction and extensive index to facilitate the search for key terms, making it an indispensable resource for scientists, researchers and microbiology graduate students, applied microbiologists and policy makers.”
Dr Dowling is Head of Faculty of Science at SETU’s Carlow campus. He is an active member of enviroCore, a strategic research unit dedicated to the application of environmental biotechnology research at SETU Carlow. For more information, see www.envirocore.ie/team/
Good Microbes in Medicine, Food Production, Biotechnology, Bioremediation, and Agriculture. Editor(s): Frans J. de Bruijn, Hauke Smidt, Luca S. Cocolin, Michael Sauer, David Dowling, Linda Thomashow. First published: 14 September 2022