Microbial production of flavors and fragrances by Yarrowia lipolytica

Abstract

The consumers' demand for natural flavors and fragrances has resulted in a decrease in natural resources, making the development of cost-effective biotechnological processes that fulfill consumer needs. The extraction of these compounds from natural sources and chemical synthesis are the most common methods for their production. However, plant extraction has a number of drawbacks, including the low concentration of the desired product, seasonal variation, risk of plant diseases, and ecological problems. In fact, chemical synthesis still represents the cheaper technology for production of these compounds which are commonly labelled as "artificial'' or "nature identical'' decreasing their economic value. Biotechnological production emerges as an attractive alternative for its production since the products obtained are identified as "natural.'' Yarrowia lipolytica is a nonconventional and strictly aerobic yeast with the Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) status which has different biotechnological applications due to its ability to consume a wide range of carbon sources and create a huge variety of metabolites with industrial interest. This yeast has been shown to be a robust cell for the biotechnological synthesis of compounds that can be used as additives in food industry, such as enzymes, sweeteners, biosurfactants, organic acids, and flavor and fragrance compounds.