Microbial production of glutathione

Glutathione (GSH) is a non-coding tripeptide thiol with several important regulative and protective functions in eukaryotes and in most prokaryotes. The primary function of GSH is to maintain the redox potential of the cell, which is directly connected to GSH concentration, and to prevent cellular damages caused by reactive oxygen species or toxic heavy metals. Due to its antioxidant character, it is widely used in pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food industry. There have been different strategies to optimize GSH yield and productivity in bacteria and yeasts by means of metabolic and evolutionary engineering, media optimization and bioprocess engineering. The fed-batch procedure with yeasts of the genera Saccharomyces and Candida is still common method for industrial production. However, for an economic bioprocess production of GSH key factors like media costs, strain performance and process scalability are essential. Beside the extraction and purification of GSH as bulk product, GSH-enriched yeast cells are used for food and beverage applications, as well. This review outlines current applications of microbially produced GSH and illustrates current developments and strategies for its production.