US 11,725,220 B1
Production of fusel lactates via biocatalysis
Ryan Wesley Davis, San Jose, CA (US); Arul Mohzy Varman, Tempe, AZ (US); Aditya Pandharinath Sarnaik, Tempe, AZ (US); and Amit Kumar Jha, Livermore, CA (US)
Assigned to National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC, Albuquerque, NM (US); and Arizona Board of Regents on Behalf of Arizona State University, Scottsdale, AZ (US)
Filed by National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC, Albuquerque, NM (US); and Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ (US)
Filed on Aug. 26, 2020, as Appl. No. 17/3,061.
Int. Cl. C12N 1/20 (2006.01); C12P 7/62 (2022.01)
CPC C12P 7/62 (2013.01) [C12N 1/20 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
 
1. A process for converting a glucose-containing hydrolyzed biomass into a fusel lactate, the process comprising:
expressing an esterase gene in a bacterial host, the bacterial host being added to or already present in the glucose-containing hydrolyzed biomass;
maintaining conditions suitable for fermenting in the hydrolyzed biomass, the fermenting producing an alcohol and a lactate; and
catalyzing through an enzyme encoded by the esterase gene, a reaction from the alcohol and lactate to form a fusel lactate in the bacterial host;
wherein the enzyme is selected from the group consisting of: ethyl-ester-synthase-1, acetylxylan-esterase-2, carbohydrate-esterase, esterase-A, truncated-esterase-A, and combinations thereof;
wherein the esterase gene is obtained from an organism selected from: Komagataella phaffii, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Brettanomyces bruxellensis, or Pseudomonas aeruginosa.