The application of artificial microbial consortia for biotechnological production processes is an emerging field in research as it offers great potential for the improvement of established as well as the development of novel processes. In this review, we summarize recent highlights in the usage of various microbial consortia for the production of, for example, platform chemicals, biofuels, or pharmaceutical compounds. It aims to demonstrate the great potential of co-cultures by employing different organisms and interaction mechanisms and exploiting their respective advantages. Bacteria and yeasts often offer a broad spectrum of possible products, fungi enable the utilization of complex lignocellulosic substrates via enzyme secretion and hydrolysis, and microalgae can feature their abilities to fixate CO 2 through photosynthesis for other organisms as well as to form lipids as potential fuelstocks. However, the complexity of interactions between microbes require methods for observing population dynamics within the process and modern approaches such as modeling or automation for process development. After shortly discussing these interaction mechanisms, we aim to present a broad variety of successfully established co-culture processes to display the potential of artificial microbial consortia for the production of biotechnological products.

The in vitro anticoagulant action of proteases secreted by the micromycete Aspergillus ochraceus L-1 and contained in snakes’ venoms (Protac® and RVV-X® preparations) was studied. The severity of the action of micromycete protease in relation to plasmas of humans and warm-blooded animals, as well as human plasmas de cient in certain factors of the hemostasis system, in comparison with snake proteases in reactions with chromogenic peptide substrates of activated protein C and factor X, as well as using the activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) test. The optimal time of preincubation of the micromycete A. ochraceus L-1 protease with human blood plasma (3 min) and the concentration of the chromogenic peptide substrate of activated protein C (from 0.1 to 0.5 mg/ml) necessary for the correct determination of protein C with her help.