** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** DEVELOPING AN INNOVATIVE APPROACH TO ESTABLISH A CIRCULAR ECONOMY PLATFORM FOR LIGNOCELLULOSIC AGRICULTURAL WASTES AND MATERIALS HOLDS THE POTENTIAL TO REVOLUTIONIZE ALTERNATIVE PROTEIN PRODUCTION WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY ADDRESSING THE PRESSING ISSUES OF WASTE REDUCTION. CELLULAR AGRICULTURE COMBINED WITH FERMENTATION, TWO EMERGING AND TRANSFORMATIVE FIELDS, HOLD THE POTENTIAL TO ADDRESS THESE CHALLENGES BY HARNESSING CELLULAR AND BIOTECHNOLOGICAL BREAKTHROUGHS TO PRODUCE ANIMAL-DERIVED PRODUCTS WHILE CIRCUMVENTING TRADITIONAL FARMING PRACTICES. THIS PROPOSAL PRESENTS A COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGY TO PROPEL CELLULAR AGRICULTURE FORWARD, FOCUSING ON THE CONVERSION OF LIGNOCELLULOSIC WASTES INTO POSTBIOTICS (INCLUDE A WIDE RANGE OF BENEFICIAL SUBSTANCES SUCH AS SHORT-CHAIN FATTY ACIDS, ENZYMES, ORGANIC ACIDS, AND PEPTIDES) USING GUT MICROBIAL COMMUNITIES AND GENERATING MICROBIAL PROTEIN SOURCES THROUGH METHANE-OXIDIZING BACTERIA. OUR MAIN GOAL IS TO DEVELOP NEW BIOMANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGIES FOR THE CONVERSION OF LIGNOCELLULOSIC AGRICULTURAL FEEDSTOCKS INTO VALUABLE POSTBIOTICS AND MICROBIAL PROTEINS TO SUPPORT CELL CULTURES. THE SUCCESSFUL OUTCOMES FROM THIS PROPOSED RESEARCH WOULD IMPROVE COSTS AND REDUCE THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSOCIATED WITH FERMENTATION AND POSTBIOTICS PRODUCTION, THROUGH COMPREHENSIVE OBJECTIVES INCLUDING AIM 1: ISOLATE, CHARACTERIZE AND IDENTIFY MICROBIAL COMMUNITIES FROM BOVINE RUMEN, INSECTS GUT, AND HERBIVOROUS FISH SPECIES GUT FOR UTILITY IN WASTE CONVERSIONS; AIM 2: TRANSFORM LIGNOCELLULOSIC AGRICULTURAL WASTE MATERIALS INTO POSTBIOTICS THROUGH THE UTILIZATION OF THE GUT MICROBIAL COMMUNITIES; AIM 3: PRODUCE AND APPLY MICROBIAL PROTEIN BIOMASS BY CONVERTING BIOGAS (E.G. CARBON DIOXIDE AND METHANE) FROM AIM 2 TO MICROBIAL BIOMASS; AIM 4: DOWNSTREAM PROCESSING OF POSTBIOTICS AND MICROBIAL PROTEIN AND THEIR UTILIZATION IN CELL CULTURE MEDIA.