Room: Yangtze 1
Date: Tuesday, 19 May 2026
Time: 15:00 - 16:00 CEST
Session code 6AO.3
Bioprocess innovations for biomass valorization
a-farnesene Biosynthesis by Engineered Rhodotorula Toruloides Utilizing Biomass Waste as Feedstock
Short Introductive summary
a-Farnesene is a sesquiterpene hydrocarbon with broad industrial value as a renewable precursor for farnesane biofuels, lubricants, fragrances, and polymer intermediates. Conventional a-farnesene production relies on metabolically engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae using refined sugars, but these systems require complex multi-gene pathway reconstruction and costly feedstocks, limiting sustainability. Here, we introduce a non-conventional platform employing Rhodotorula toruloides for a-farnesene biosynthesis. A single-gene transgenic strain expressing farnesene synthase achieved titers of 2.4 g/L a-farnesene, highlighting the high native mevalonate pathway flux of R. toruloides. Moreover, the strain efficiently converted low-pH fruit peel juice into a-farnesene without pH adjustment, enabling direct valorization of agro-industrial waste. This bioprocess transforms biomass residues into high-value renewable compounds, exemplifying a circular biorefinery approach. Overall, this work advances microbial sesquiterpene production toward simpler, more sustainable, and cost-effective biotechnological solutions.
Presenter
Fang-Yu HWU
Industrial Technology Research Institute, TAIWAN
Biographies and Short introductive summaries are supplied directly by presenters and are published here unedited
Co-authors:
F.-Y. Hwu, Industrial Technology Research Institute, Tainan City, TAIWAN
Session reference: 6AO.3.3