Abstract
Benzoic acid is one of the most commonly used food preservatives, but
currently exclusively produced in petrochemical processes. In this
study, we describe a bio-based production pathway using an engineered
strain of Pseudomonas taiwanensis. In a
phenylalanine-overproducing strain, we heterologously expressed
bacterial, yeast, and plant genes to achieve production of benzoate via
a β-oxidation pathway. Strategic disruption of the native
Pseudomonas benzoate degradation pathway further allowed the
production of catechol and cis,cis-muconate. Taken
together, this work demonstrates new routes for the microbial production
of these industrially relevant chemicals from renewable resources.