Executive Summary : | Recent trends have emphasized the use of greener approaches for producing platform chemicals using microbial systems and waste biomass. This is due to concerns about the efficiency of bioactive compounds and their low carbon footprints. The global nutraceutical market, estimated at $412.7 billion, is growing rapidly, with India leading with a market worth $4-5 billion and Europe experiencing a compound annual growth rate of 7.5% in 2020-2025. GABA, an essential nutrient element, is used in food, nutraceutical, pharmaceuticals, and biomedicine. Microbial systems like fungi, bacteria, and yeasts have great potential for producing GABA, with probiotic microorganisms being an efficient source. Waste biomass, such as agro-residues and food & dairy waste, can serve dual purposes: as a low-cost substrate and waste valorization, minimizing the carbon footprints of chemical-intensive industrial processes. The present study aims to develop a novel strategy for selecting probiotic microbes capable of using waste biomass as a substrate for GABA production. An optimized production and single-step purification strategy will be developed for enhanced GABA recovery, which will be scaled up to the industrial level. The study also addresses the techno-economic assessment (TEA) and life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) of the developed strategy to evaluate its financial and environmental implications before commercializing the technology with industry stakeholders. |