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Review
. 2025 Sep 22;13(9):2217.
doi: 10.3390/microorganisms13092217.

Harnessing Microbial Power for a Sustainable Future Food System

Andreea Loredana Birgovan Rhazzali  1 , Elena Simina Lakatos  1   2 , Lucian Ionel Cioca  1   3 , Natalia Lorela Paul  1 , Sorin Daniel Vatca  1   4 , Erzsebeth Kis  1 , Roxana Lavinia Pacurariu  1
Affiliations
Review

Harnessing Microbial Power for a Sustainable Future Food System

Andreea Loredana Birgovan Rhazzali et al. Microorganisms. .

Abstract

Microorganisms are transforming the way we address sustainability across agriculture, food production, waste remediation, bioenergy, and industrial bioprocessing, offering novel solutions for the food systems of tomorrow. This systematic review examines literature from the last twenty years in order to identify key advances, challenges, and future directions in harnessing microbial systems for sustainable applications, especially those underpinning a resilient future food system. The selected documents allowed a mapping of the most important trends: innovations based on metabolic engineering and omics, the use of integrated biorefineries, and digital monitoring platforms are emerging as catalysts for the transition, while high scaling costs, regulatory challenges, and low public acceptance continue to limit large-scale implementation. The analysis highlights both the major advantages (reducing ecological impact, valorizing waste, diversifying food sources) and the current limits of these technologies, proposing a multi-stakeholder roadmap to accelerate the transition to a circular bioeconomy and a low-carbon and climate-resilient food system.

Keywords: biofertilizers; biofuels; circular bioeconomy; food security; microbial biotechnology; sustainable food systems.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Conceptual diagram of microbial and enzymatic biotransformations.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Network visualization map of keywords related to microorganisms and sustainable agriculture.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Methodology of research.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Number of publications related to sustainability in the agricultural sector.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Global distribution of the concerns related to agricultural sector sustainability over the last two decades.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Key aspects of microorganisms in the bioremediation process.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Microorganisms involved in biofertilization.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Role of microorganisms in sustainable biofuel production.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Importance of microbial biochemical synthesis in sustainable agriculture.
Figure 10
Figure 10
Main barriers in the implementation of next-generation food systems.
Figure 11
Figure 11
Role of microorganisms in sustainable agriculture.
Figure 12
Figure 12
Dimensions of microorganism adoption in food systems.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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