Industrial Production of 2,3-Butanediol from the Engineered Corynebacterium glutamicum

The platform chemical 2,3-butanediol (2,3-BDO) is a valuable product that can be converted into several petroleum-based chemicals via simple chemical reactions. Here, we produced 2,3-BDO with the non-pathogenic and rapidly growing Corynebacterium glutamicum. To enhance the 2,3-BDO production capacity of C. glutamicum, we introduced budA encoding acetolactate decarboxylase from Klebsiella pneumoniae, a powerful 2,3-BDO producer. Additionally, budB (encoding α-acetolactate synthase) and budC (encoding acetoin reductase) were introduced from K. pneumoniae to reinforce the carbon flux in the 2,3-BDO production. Because budC had a negative effect on 2,3-BDO production in C. glutamicum, the budB and budA introduced strain, SGSC102, was selected for 2,3-BDO production, and batch culture was performed at 30 °C, 250 rpm and pH 6.86 with pure glucose, molasses, and cassava powder as carbon substrates. After batch culture, significant amount of 2,3-BDO (18.9 and 12.0 g/L, respectively) was produced from 80 g/L of pure glucose and cassava powder.