Yeasts are the most used microorganisms for biotechnological purposes. Although they have been mainly recognized for their application in the beverage and bioethanol industries, these microorganisms can be efficiently employed in pharmaceutical and food production companies. In these industrial sectors, yeasts are highly desirable for their capacity to produce bioactive compounds from simple substrates, including wastes. In this review, we present the state of the art of bioactive compound production in microbial cell factories and analyze the avenues to increase the productivity of these molecules, which benefit human and environmental health. The article addresses their vast biological activities, from preventing to treating human diseases and from pre to postharvest control on agroindustrial streams. Furthermore, different yeast species, genetically engineered or not, are herein presented not only as biofactories of the referred to compounds but also as their targets. This comprehensive analysis of the literature points out the significant roles of biodiversity, bioprospection, and genome editing tools on the microbial production of bioactive compounds and reveals the value of these approaches from the one health perspective.

Native yeasts are a promising microbial resource for the development of sustainable biorefineries. In this study, we isolated 30 yeast strains from soil, decaying wood, and tree bark in a preserved Araucaria Forest in Southern Brazil and characterized them phenotypically and taxonomically. All strains were able to grow on glucose, xylose, and cellobiose, and 50% of them could metabolize arabinose. Several isolates showed high growth rates on xylose (up to 0.47 h⁻¹) and cellobiose (up to 0.45 h⁻¹). Notably, 19 strains (63% of the analyzed yeasts) exhibited xylanase activity at 50 °C (up to 156.84 U/mL), and four strains (13%) showed significant cellulase production. β-Glucosidase activities were particularly high in permeabilized cells of CHAP-258, CHAP-277, and CHAP-278 (up to 584.33 U/mg DCW), with kinetic parameters indicating high enzymatic performance. Twelve strains (40% of the total) were classified as oleaginous, and three (10%) displayed both lipogenic and esterase activity. Lipase activity against p-nitrophenyl palmitate (pNPP) reached 55.55 U/mL in CHAP-260. Taxonomic identification revealed representatives of seven genera, including Meyerozyma, Papiliotrema, Scheffersomyces, and Sugiyamaella, with potential for biotechnological use. Overall, the biochemical diversity observed highlights the value of native yeasts from Araucaria Forests as biocatalysts for lignocellulose-based bioprocesses, particularly due to their ability to grow on pentoses, secrete hydrolytic enzymes, and accumulate lipids.

As leveduras, fungos unicelulares amplamente empregados na indústria de alimentos e bebidas, estão desempenhando um papel cada vez mais relevante na síntese de metabólitos naturais para fins biotecnológicos. Esses metabólitos, de natureza diversificada, encontram aplicações em diversos setores, particularmente na área da saúde, e abrangem uma variedade de moléculas com atividades biológicas vantajosas, tais como antimicrobiana, antioxidante, anti-inflamatória e antineoplásica. Nesse contexto, este capítulo visa explorar as leveduras que ocorrem naturalmente como produtoras de metabólitos bioativos, explanando os tipos de compostos que elas produzem e destacando suas potenciais aplicações em benefício da saúde humana. Também são discutidas as abordagens biotecnológicas mais promissoras para a produção de metabólitos terapêuticos a partir de leveduras, que incluem (1) o isolamento de leveduras e a otimização de processos de fermentação e extração dos compostos, (2) a engenharia genética de leveduras para melhorar a produção desses compostos, e (3) testes de citotoxicidade e avaliação do potencial terapêutico dos metabólitos de leveduras. Em síntese, as leveduras desempenham um papel crucial na produção de metabólitos naturais com múltiplas propriedades benéficas para a saúde, e este capítulo investiga as estratégias e avanços biotecnológicos que estão impulsionando o potencial terapêutico desses compostos.