Producing aromatic amino acid from corn husk by using polyols as intermediates.

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Chemical Engineering
• Biomass Valorization

Background:

• Agricultural biomass, like corn husk, is abundant waste.
• Current fermentation processes for high-value products face challenges like high enzyme costs and growth inhibitors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an integrated process for producing l-tyrosine from corn husk.
• To overcome limitations of traditional fermentation methods for biomass valorization.

Main Methods:

• A one-pot hydrolytic hydrogenation tandem reaction was employed, avoiding expensive enzymes.
• An engineered Escherichia coli strain was used for bioconversion of crude hydrolysates.
• The process combined abiotic and biocatalysis.

Main Results:

• The hydrolytic hydrogenation yielded a mixture of polyols and sugars from corn husk.
• The crude hydrolysates were efficiently utilized by the engineered E. coli without growth inhibition.
• 0.44 g/L of l-tyrosine was produced from 10 g/L crude corn husk hydrolysates.

Conclusions:

• The integrated process successfully converts agricultural biomass (corn husk) into l-tyrosine.
• This method offers a cost-effective and efficient alternative to traditional fermentation for producing aromatic amino acids from waste.