Adding value to plant oils and fatty acids: Biological transformation of fatty acids into ω-hydroxycarboxylic, α,ω-dicarboxylic, and ω-aminocarboxylic acids

• Published in: Journal of biotechnology 2015-12, Vol.216, p.158-166
• Main Authors: Seo, Joo-Hyun, Lee, Sun-Mee, Lee, Jinwon, Park, Jin-Byung
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biosynthetic Pathways; Biotransformation; Dicarboxylic Acids - metabolism; Fatty acids; Fatty Acids - metabolism; Plant Oils - metabolism; Stereoisomerism; α,ω-Dicarboxylic acids; ω-Aminocarboxylic acids; ω-Hydroxycarboxylic acids
• ISSN: 0168-1656; 1873-4863
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2015.10.024

•Synthetic pathways to produce value-added fatty acid derivatives have been summarized.•ω-Hydroxy fatty acids can be synthesized by employing natural pathways of yeast.•Plant lipoxygenase pathway can be utilized to produce hydroxy fatty acids or dicarboxylic acids.•Medium chain ω-hydroxy fatty acids, fatty alcohol or α,ω-dicarboxylic acids can be produced via oxidative cleavage of fatty acids.•ω-Amino fatty acids can be generated from hydroxy fatty acids by recruiting alcohol dehydrogenase and ω-aminotransferases. Not only short chain ω-hydroxycarboxylic acids, α,ω-dicarboxylic acids, and ω-aminocarboxylic acids but also medium to long chain carboxylic acids are widely used as building blocks and intermediates in the chemical, pharmaceutical, and food industries. Thereby, recent achievements in biological production of medium to long chain carboxylic acids are addressed here. ω-Hydroxycarboxylic and α,ω-dicarboxylic acids were synthesized via terminal CH bond oxygenation of fatty acids and/or internal oxidative cleavage of the fatty acid carbon skeletons. ω-Aminocarboxylic acids were enzymatically produced from ω-hydroxycarboxylic acids via ω-oxocarboxylic acids. Productivities and product yields of some of the products are getting close to the industrial requirements for large scale production.