Researchers have demonstrated that an oil-accumulating yeast could be used to produce isoprenol, a chemical precursor with potential applications in the development of high-performance bio-based aviation fuels, Biodiesel Magazine reported.
Biomanufacturing uses biological systems, including microorganisms, to produce chemicals and materials. The approach has already been explored for producing bio-based fuels by using microbes’ natural ability to ferment alcohol.
Advanced aviation fuels could offer improved performance and efficiency compared with conventional fuels. However, producing some of the chemicals required for these fuels remains challenging. Isoprenol is one such precursor, and researchers have been investigating microbial production routes to overcome these challenges.
Scientists at the Joint BioEnergy Institute studied Rhodosporidium toruloides, an oil-accumulating yeast with characteristics that make it a promising candidate for biomanufacturing.
Yeast engineered to produce isoprenol
The researchers introduced an IPP-bypass metabolic pathway into R. toruloides to enable the yeast to produce isoprenol. The engineered strain produced up to 93.1 mg/L of isoprenol when grown in a sugar-rich medium.
When a sorghum-derived feedstock was used, production reached 27.3 mg/L.
The researchers also modified components of the production pathway and investigated bottlenecks that limited output. These experiments helped identify engineering strategies that could potentially increase isoprenol production in future studies.
Isoprenol production through the IPP-bypass pathway has previously been demonstrated in different microbial systems. However, many hosts have struggled to achieve production levels relevant to industrial biomanufacturing.
The study provides an initial assessment of R. toruloides as a host for isoprenol production and offers guidance for further optimisation of the microbial pathway.
Potential for sustainable aviation fuels
The researchers said the findings demonstrate that R. toruloides can serve as a possible platform for producing isoprenol, although further work is required to improve production levels.
Developing microbial systems capable of producing isoprenol at industrially relevant concentrations could support future efforts to manufacture advanced bio-based aviation fuels.
The research could ultimately contribute to efforts to increase the availability of domestically produced aviation fuels by providing a biological route for manufacturing key fuel precursors.
