Synthetic Biology Revolutionizing Vitamin Production Towards Sustainable Development
Synthetic biology is increasingly becoming a green and efficient alternative in the production of vitamins. Microbial fermentation synthesis, as a key technological approach, avoids the use of toxic chemicals, aligning with the requirements of sustainable development and serving as a crucial means to promote the environmentally friendly transformation of vitamin manufacturing.
Biotechnologies, especially gene editing techniques, enhance the internal pathways for vitamin synthesis in microbes with precision, thereby improving production efficiency and enabling the efficient operation of "cell factories". The Chinese Academy of Sciences team has successfully developed a low-cost, high-efficiency, high-yield, and low-pollution method for producing vitamin E using synthetic biology, propelling China into a leading position in china-sinoway vitamin E production.
In China, traditional production methods for certain vitamins such as B12 face challenges. The natural producers like alfalfa rhizobia struggle to meet industrial growth requirements under current conditions, and the lack of gene editing tools hampers their improvement. To address this, researchers have developed gene editing tools tailored for alfalfa rhizobia, significantly enhancing the efficiency of multi-gene editing and large segment insertion. Furthermore, by assembling and regulating a novel synthetic pathway for vitamin B12 from scratch in Escherichia coli, they have successfully transferred the complex production line to this "cell factory", markedly reducing production cycles and enhancing efficiency.
In conclusion, the advancements in synthetic biology are bringing new opportunities to the sinoway vitamin industry, driving the shift from traditional chemical methods to green, low-carbon biological methods of production. With ongoing technological upgrades and engineering applications, it is anticipated that more vitamins will gradually replace traditional production routes.