The non-conventional yeasts Kluyveromyces lactis, Yarrowia lipolytica, Ogataea polymorpha and Pichia pastoris have been developed as eukaryotic expression hosts because of their desirable growth characteristics, including inhibitor and thermo-tolerance, utilization of diverse carbon substrates, and high amount of extracellular protein secretion. These yeasts already have established in the heterologous production of vaccines, therapeutic proteins, food additives, and bio-renewable chemicals, but recent advances in genetic tool box have the potential to greatly expand and diversify their impact on biotechnology. The diversity of these yeasts includes many strains possessing highly useful, and in some cases even uncommon, metabolic capabilities potentially helpful for bioprocess industry. This review outlines the recent updates of non-conventional yeast in sustainable bioprocesses.

The problem of plastic prevalence and associated pollution has grasped the entire planet drastically, putting all fields of science on the stake seeking remedies to this global havoc. To address this crisis, with a single remediation strategy is often found to be baseless, thereby much interest has been evoked in the development of multidisciplinary approaches – involving physico-chemical and biological strategies to nullify the aftermath of plastic pollution in all possible means. Even amidst, the availability of different approaches, the use of biological methods to combat plastic degradation has gained momentum. The most frequently used plastics appear in wide forms such as polyethylene plastic bags, polypropylene-based bottles, polyvinyl chloride pipes and polystyrene styrene cups. Plastic nicknamed as one of the toughest polymers viz. polycarbonate, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and Polydicyclopentadiene; quite often are called so as they resist degradation in normal environmental strategies. They are often degraded in non-hostile and harsh environments of pH, temperature, radiation etc. However, not always it is possible to create such harsh environments for plastic degradation. In such a scenario, the use of gut microbes that can withstand the harsh atmosphere of gut environment could serve as promising candidates for plastic biodegradation. The current article envisages the various gut microbes of various biological agents and their role in plastic remediation. The current review compiles the techniques available for plastic remediation, the microbial prospects of plastic remediation, its challenges, and possible breakthroughs to effective plastic remediation. Graphical Abstract