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Updated: Mar 15, 2026

Author Spotlight: Optimizing Hollow-Fiber Membranes for Continuous Liquid-Liquid Extraction of Medium-Chain Fatty Acids
Published on: August 9, 2024
Engineered fatty acid catabolism for fuel and chemical production
Seohyoung Kim1, Seokjung Cheong1, Alexander Chou1
1Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA.
Abstract:
Fatty acid oxidation pathways are attractive for metabolic engineering purposes due to their cyclic nature as well as their reactions that allow for the selective functionalization of alkyl chains. These characteristics allow for the production of various chemicals, such as alcohols, alkanes, ketones and hydroxyacids, in a wide range of carbon numbers. To this end, the α-, β-, and ω-oxidation pathways have been engineered for use in various hosts. Furthermore, the β-oxidation pathway has been engineered to operate in reverse, resulting in a promising carbon chain elongation platform. This review will describe the recent progress in metabolic engineering strategies for the production of chemicals through these fatty acid oxidation pathways.
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