Less Genome, More Gain: Genome Reduction Enhances Transaminase‐Producing E. coli in a Scale‐Down Bioreactor

strain (RM214) in a STR-PFR scale-down system, benchmarking it against a wild-type strain. Under cycles of glycerol limitation and starvation, combined with oxygen limitation in later process stages, RM214 outperformed the wild-type strain. Due to its lower maintenance coefficient, RM214 showed a remarkable biomass increase of +53% and a boosted final volumetric activity with a +65% increase. These results were achieved with significantly reduced biomass-specific substrate uptake rates and respiratory parameters, both crucial for optimizing large-scale processes. This study underscores the applicability and enhanced robustness of genome-reduced strains in heterogeneous large-scale environments.