Benzyl acetate, known for its jasmine and ylang-ylang scents, is extensively used in the manufacture of cosmetics, foods, and beverages. (Image courtesy of Wikipedia)
DAEJEON, Feb. 27 (Korea Bizwire) – A team of researchers from KAIST’s Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and the BioProcess Engineering Research Center has made a groundbreaking achievement by developing a process to produce benzyl acetate, a key aromatic compound, using renewable carbon sources like glucose and microbes.
This significant advancement was detailed in an article published in the international journal of chemical engineering, Nature Chemical Engineering, on February 26.
Benzyl acetate, known for its jasmine and ylang-ylang scents, is extensively used in the manufacture of cosmetics, foods, and beverages. Traditionally, the demand for these fragrances, derived directly from flowers, has outpaced supply, leading the industry to synthesize benzyl acetate chemically from petroleum-based sources.
To address this issue, the research team employed systems metabolic engineering techniques to produce benzyl acetate in an eco-friendly and sustainable manner. They developed a fermentation process using E. coli bacteria to convert glucose into benzyl acetate, showcasing a significant stride towards sustainable industrial practices.
The team engineered a metabolic pathway that synthesizes benzyl acetate from glucose via benzoic acid. They successfully produced benzyl acetate through a co-cultivation strategy, mixing more than two types of microbes to ferment simultaneously.
However, the co-cultivation approach initially led to a decrease in production efficiency due to the enzyme converting benzoic acid to benzyl acetate also non-specifically acting on intermediates in benzoic acid biosynthesis, creating by-products like cinnamyl acetate.
By applying a delayed co-cultivation strategy to slow down the conversion rate from benzoic acid to benzyl acetate, the researchers were able to suppress by-product formation and significantly increase the concentration of the target compound, achieving a production yield of 2.2g per liter of benzyl acetate.
Sang Yup Lee, a distinguished professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at KAIST, shared insights into the researchers’ achievement.
“Our team has made significant strides in developing a microbial process for the efficient synthesis of benzyl acetate, a compound of great industrial importance. We are committed to further advancing this field by increasing the diversity and capacity of microbial processes for the sustainable production of valuable industrial compounds,” he explained.
This breakthrough marks a significant step towards adopting more sustainable and eco-friendly methods in the production of key aromatic compounds, with wide-ranging applications across various sectors.
Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
