Lactic acid bacteria are well known to be beneficial for food production and, as probiotics, they are relevant for many aspects of health. However, their potential as cell factories for the chemical industry is only emerging. Many physiological traits of these microorganisms, evolved for optimal growth in their niche, are also valuable in an industrial context. Here, we illuminate these features and describe why the distinctive adaptation of lactic acid bacteria is particularly useful when developing a microbial process for chemical production from renewable resources. High carbon uptake rates with low biomass formation combined with strictly regulated simple metabolic pathways, leading to a limited number of metabolites, are among the key factors defining their success in both nature and industry.

众所周知，乳酸菌有益于食品生产，并且作为益生菌，它们与健康的许多方面都息息相关。但是，它们作为化学工业电池工厂的潜力才刚刚出现。这些微生物的许多生理特性，为了它们的生态位的最佳生长而进化，在工业环境中也很有价值。在这里，我们阐明了这些特征并描述了为什么在开发由可再生资源进行化学生产的微生物工艺时，乳酸菌的独特适应性特别有用。高碳吸收率，低生物量形成以及严格受控的简单代谢途径（导致数量有限的代谢物）是决定其在自然界和工业界成功的关键因素。