However, a common soil bacterium called Pseudomonas putida has now been shown to be up to the task, long intriguing the biomanufacturing industry. The researchers applied these tools to Pseudomonas putida that they grew on four common compounds derived from lignin to develop a digestive roadmap. In this state, the bacteria increased enzyme production for targeted metabolic reactions by hundreds or even thousands of times. With all of these changes, Pseudomonas putida increased its production of energy-providing ATP by sixfold when compared against more readily digestible compounds. It highlights the importance of continued work to fully understand Pseudomonas putida’s energy production before attempting to optimize it for commercial use in transforming plant waste into sustainable products.