Microbial biosynthesis

About

Chalcones, Flavonoids and Stilbenes from Lignin Using Microbial Biosynthesis Microbial biosynthesis of chalcones, stilbenes and flavonoids in engineered microbes offers a production route with greater selectivity and purity than current methods that rely on chemical extraction from plants. In addition, the feedstock for microbial biosynthesis (phenylpropionic acid) can be derived from lignin, an inexpensive agricultural byproduct. Microbial biosynthesis of flavonoids and stilbenes also allows for production of novel compounds that aren’t found in nature, either through pathway evolution and extension with additional modifying enzymes, altering the media feed stream, or using fermentation to create intermediates for additional chemical modifications. Microbial Biosynthesis Produces Chalcones, Flavonoids and Stilbenes Without Production of Cinnamic Acid A genetically engineered microbe has been produced that uses a biological pathway for producing chalcones, flavonoids and stilbenes. This pathway bypasses the bottleneck of producing the precursor cinnamic acid, which improves the yield. The use of engineered biosynthetic pathways allows the synthesis of chemical structures that cannot be readily obtained in high yields by chemical synthesis. Flavonoids and Stilbenes Are Used in the Nutraceutical Field The most visible application of this technology is in the nutraceutical field, particularly in the production of Resveratrol, the antioxidant in red wine responsible for heart health benefits, as well as Piceatannol, Naringenin, Eriodictyol (cancer prevention antioxidants).