Recent Advances on the Production of Itaconic Acid via the Fermentation and Metabolic Engineering

Abstract

Itaconic acid (ITA) is one of the top 12 platform chemicals. The global ITA market is expanding due to the rising demand for bio-based unsaturated polyester resin and its non-toxic qualities. Although bioconversion using microbes is the main approach in the current industrial production of ITA, ecological production of bio-based ITA faces several issues due to: low production efficiency, the difficulty to employ inexpensive raw materials, and high manufacturing costs. As metabolic engineering advances, the engineering of microorganisms offers a novel strategy for the promotion of ITA bio-production. In this review, the most recent developments in the production of ITA through fermentation and metabolic engineering are compiled from a variety of perspectives, including the identification of the ITA synthesis pathway, the metabolic engineering of natural ITA producers, the design and construction of the ITA synthesis pathway in model chassis, and the creation, as well as application, of new metabolic engineering strategies in ITA production. The challenges encountered in the bio-production of ITA in microbial cell factories are discussed, and some suggestions for future study are also proposed, which it is hoped offers insightful views to promote the cost-efficient and sustainable industrial production of ITA.

Photocurable Itaconic Acid-Functionalized Star Polycaprolactone in Biobased Formulations for Vat Photopolymerization

“…5 Its photocurable moiety opens the possibility of a complete replacement of acrylic and methacrylic acid derivatives in SLA. 6,7 Moreover, the double carboxylic functionality allows for its incorporation into photocurable polyesters and poly(ester−amides) and for the preparation of small diesters that have been recently reported as partially biobased reactive diluents. 8−11 Aliphatic polyesters offer great opportunities to be used in AM thanks to their low costs, tailorable structures, biodegradability, and excellent mechanical properties.…”

“…With the aim of improving the sustainability of SLA-based manufacturing, the biobased building block itaconic acid is emerging since it is industrially obtained by the fermentation of sugars . Its photocurable moiety opens the possibility of a complete replacement of acrylic and methacrylic acid derivatives in SLA. , Moreover, the double carboxylic functionality allows for its incorporation into photocurable polyesters and poly­(ester–amides) and for the preparation of small diesters that have been recently reported as partially biobased reactive diluents. − …”