2025/05/01 by Ilona A. Ruhl, Sean P. Woodworth, Stefan J. Haugen +3 · 1 voice · 1 citation
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · #Biochemical and biochemical processes #Fermentation and Sensory Analysis #Microbial Metabolic Engineering and Bioproduction
paper · pdf · doi:10.1111/1751-7915.70152
openalex publication_date 2025/05/01 · openalex created_date 2025/05/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01
Vanillin is the most in-demand flavouring compound in the world and because vanillin extracted from vanilla pods cannot meet the global demand, most vanillin on the market today is chemically synthesised. Increasing demands by consumers for natural ingredients have inspired efforts to develop vanillin derived from microbial sources. These efforts have been challenged by low titers, likely caused by the toxicity of vanillin to most microbial biocatalysts. In this study, we engineered a Pseudomonas putida KT2440-derived strain that accumulated vanillin from ferulic acid to 0.64 g/L. To increase the overall titre, we applied a hydrophobic polystyrene-based resin to vanillin-accumulating cultures, which enabled an increase in total vanillin recovery to an apparent titre of 3.35 g/L. This study demonstrates that P. putida can accumulate vanillin from ferulic acid to higher titers when vanillin is removed from the cultivation medium, mitigating its toxicity.