A novel biocatalyst for efficient production of 2-oxo-carboxylates using glycerol as the cost-effective carbon source

The surplus of glycerol has increased remarkably as a main byproduct during the biofuel's production. Exploiting an alternative route for glycerol utilization is significantly important for sustainability of biofuels.

A novel biocatalyst that could be prepared from glycerol for producing 2-oxo-carboxylates was developed. First, Pseudomonas putida KT2440 was reconstructed by deleting lldR to develop a mutant expressing the NAD-independent lactate dehydrogenases (iLDHs) constitutively. Then, the Vitreoscilla hemoglobin (VHb) was heterologously expressed to further improve the biotransformation activity. The reconstructed strain, P. putida KT2440 (ΔlldR)/pBSPPcGm-vgb, exhibited high activities of iLDHs when cultured with glycerol as the carbon source. This cost-effective biocatalyst could efficiently produce pyruvate and 2-oxobutyrate from dl-lactate and dl-2-hydroxybutyrate with high molar conversion rates of 91.9 and 99.8 %, respectively.

The process would not only be a promising alternative for the production of 2-oxo-carboxylates, but also be an example for preparation of efficient biocatalysts for the value-added utilization of glycerol.