Aspergillus niger is a filamentous fungus widely used in industrial fermentation due to its strong safety record, genetic manipulability, and metabolic flexibility. These characteristics make it an ideal host for producing high-value metabolites such as organic acids, industrial enzymes, and secondary metabolites. Recent advancements in gene editing, genomics, and synthetic biology have significantly enhanced the development of A. niger as an efficient cell factory. This review provides a comprehensive overview of recent breakthroughs in metabolite production using A. niger, with a focus on engineering strategies that improve carbon source utilization, regulate metabolic pathways, enhance transport systems, and facilitate product secretion. It also highlights emerging approaches, including coculture induction and the activation of silent gene clusters, which further expand its biosynthetic potential. By analyzing representative case studies, we offer insights into the diverse industrial applications of A. niger in food, pharmaceuticals, and sustainable manufacturing, and suggest future directions for developing more robust synthetic biology platforms.
Xu et al. (2025) studied this question.