Epsilon-poly-L-lysine: Recent Advances in Biomanufacturing and Applications

Liang Wang; Chongyang Zhang; Jianhua Zhang; Zhiming Rao; Xueming Xu; Zhonggui Mao; Xusheng Chen

doi:10.3389/fbioe.2021.748976

Epsilon-poly-L-lysine: Recent Advances in Biomanufacturing and Applications

Front Bioeng Biotechnol. 2021 Sep 28:9:748976. doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2021.748976. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Liang Wang¹, Chongyang Zhang¹, Jianhua Zhang¹, Zhiming Rao¹, Xueming Xu^{2

3}, Zhonggui Mao¹, Xusheng Chen¹

Affiliations

¹ The Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, School of Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China.
² School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China.
³ State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China.

Abstract

ε-poly-L-lysine (ε-PL) is a naturally occurring poly(amino acid) of varying polymerization degree, which possesses excellent antimicrobial activity and has been widely used in food and pharmaceutical industries. To provide new perspectives from recent advances, this review compares several conventional and advanced strategies for the discovery of wild strains and development of high-producing strains, including isolation and culture-based traditional methods as well as genome mining and directed evolution. We also summarize process engineering approaches for improving production, including optimization of environmental conditions and utilization of industrial waste. Then, efficient downstream purification methods are described, including their drawbacks, followed by the brief introductions of proposed antimicrobial mechanisms of ε-PL and its recent applications. Finally, we discuss persistent challenges and future perspectives for the commercialization of ε-PL.

Keywords: antimicrobial property; downstream process; epsilon-poly-l-lysine; process engineering; strain improvement.

Publication types

Review