Direct biodegradation of eugenol to coniferyl aldehyde and other higher value-added products by Gibberella fujikuroi ZH-34

Background Eugenol is an economically favorable substrate for the microbial biotransformation of aromatic compounds. Coniferyl aldehyde is one kind of aromatic compound that is widely used in condiment and medical industries; it is also an important raw material for producing other valuable products such as vanillin and protocatechuic acid. However, in most eugenol biotransformation processes, only a trace amount of coniferyl aldehyde is detected, thus making these processes economically unattractive. As a result, an investigation of new strains with the capability of producing more coniferyl aldehyde from eugenol is required. Results We screened a novel strain of Gibberella fujikuroi , labeled as ZH-34, which was capable of transforming eugenol to coniferyl aldehyde. The metabolic pathway was analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry and transformation kinetics. The culture medium and biotransformation conditions were optimized. At a 6 h time interval of eugenol fed-batch strategy, 3.76 ± 0.22 g/L coniferyl aldehyde was obtained, with the corresponding yield of 57.3%. Conclusions This work improves the yield of coniferyl aldehyde with a biotechnological approach. Moreover, the fed-batch strategy offers possibility for controlling the target product and accumulating different metabolites. How to cite: Chen P-C, Zhang H, Zheng P. Direct biodegradation of eugenol into coniferyl aldehyde and other higher value-added products by Gibberella fujikuroi ZH-34. Electron J Biotechnol 2019;38. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejbt.2018.12.001 .