Rosmarinic acid production using advanced metabolic engineering strategies

With improved socio-economic conditions and heightened health awareness, modern consumers now prioritize the nutritional and functional attributes of food over basic satiety. Recently, a high value component, rosmarinic acid synthesized in plants have gained attention as functional food ingredients. Traditional strategy of rosmarinic acid production, including chemical synthesis and plant extraction, are limited by environmental concerns, low yields, and high costs. With the development of biotechnology, metabolic engineering is an alternative strategy for the efficient and cost-effective production of rosmarinic acid. This review focuses on metabolic engineering advances featuring three core strategies: dynamic pathway regulation, cofactor recycling, and microbial co-culture systems. These potential innovations hold great promise for significantly enhancing rosmarinic acid yields. In addition, the review evaluates the economic and technical feasibility of large-scale production, emphasizing the addressing of challenges from traditional production methods.