Vitamin E is one of the most widely used vitamins. In the classical commercial synthesis of vitamin E (α-tocopherol), the chemical synthesis of isophytol is the key technical barrier. Here, we establish a new process for isophytol synthesis from microbial fermented farnesene. To achieve an efficient pathway for farnesene production, Saccharomyces cerevisiae was selected as the host strain. First, β-farnesene synthase genes from different sources were screened, and through protein engineering and system metabolic engineering, a high production of β-farnesene in S. cerevisiae was achieved (55.4 g/L). This farnesene can be chemically converted into isophytol in three steps with approximately 92% yield, which is economically equal to that from the best total chemical synthesis. Furthermore, we co-produced lycopene and farnesene to reduce the cost of farnesene. A factory based on this new process was successfully operated in Hubei Province, China, in 2017, with an annual output of 30,000 tons of vitamin E. This new process has completely changed the vitamin E market due to its low cost and safety.
Keywords: Saccharomyces cerevisiae; chemical synthesis; farnesene; metabolic engineering; vitamin E.
© 2022 The Author(s).