Microbial Fermentation of Plant Secondary Metabolites

At BOC Sciences, we provide microbial fermentation services for the production of plant secondary metabolites. We have state-of-the-art FDA-approved facilities and an experienced team. We are committed to providing the highest level of service and products to our customers, from upstream and downstream processes to quality control.

What is Microbial Fermentation of Plant Secondary Metabolites

Plant secondary metabolites are chemicals that are not essential for plant growth and development but play important roles in their ecological interactions, such as defense against pathogens and attracting pollinators. Plant secondary metabolites include alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenoids and phenolic compounds. Despite the great chemical diversity of plant secondary metabolites, they are usually present in very low concentrations in plants.

Microorganisms, such as bacteria, yeasts and fungi, are commonly used as hosts for the fermentation of plant secondary metabolites. In the microbial fermentation of plant secondary metabolites, synthetic biology approaches are used to engineer microorganisms to integrate plant secondary pathways with host metabolism to achieve the synthesis of valuable natural products in microorganisms. In addition, microbial synthesis overcomes the barriers to plant metabolic engineering and provides an alternative way to understand metabolic pathways and regulatory networks.

Why Use Fermentation to Produce Plant Secondary Metabolites

• High Yield: In contrast to standard extraction techniques, which might result in low yields of secondary metabolites due to the target compounds' poor solubility, chemical instability, and accessibility issues, fermentation can yield high amounts of secondary metabolites.
• Selective Production: By adjusting the microbial strain, substrate, and fermentation conditions, fermentation can be used to produce a desired secondary metabolite.
• Sustainable: As fermentation can utilise waste products or byproducts that would otherwise be thrown, it can be an economical way to produce plant secondary metabolites while minimizing waste and environmental damage.
• Diverse Products: Fermentation may readily be scaled up for commercial production and can yield a wide variety of plant secondary metabolites, including some that are challenging to extract or synthesis.

The process of microbial fermentation of plant secondary metabolites

• Selection of Microorganisms: Screening a variety of microorganisms to determine which ones are best suited for the production of the desired metabolites.
• Preparation of Substrate: This can be a plant extract or other natural product, or it can be a synthetic substrate that is designed to mimic the properties of the natural substrate.
• Inoculation of Microorganisms: The microorganisms are added to the mixture to initiate the fermentation process, which can be added in the form of a pure culture or a mixed culture.
• Control of Fermentation: The fermentation process typically involves incubating the mixture under controlled conditions of temperature, pH, and oxygen levels. Monitoring the fermentation process to ensure proper growth of the microorganisms and conversion of the metabolite.
• Isolation and Purification: The metabolites are isolated and purified using a variety of techniques, such as solvent extraction, column chromatography, and crystallization.
• Characterization and Analysis: Metabolites can be characterized and analyzed by mass spectrometry, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and high-performance liquid chromatography, etc.

Examples of Strains Used in production of plant secondary metabolites

Various strains can be used to produce plant secondary metabolites by fermentation.

• Escherichia coli: Flavonoids and terpenoids (e.g. Naringenin, Carotenoid)
• Saccharomyces cerevisiae: Polyphenols (e.g. Resveratrol)
• Aspergillus niger: Organic acids (e.g. Citric acid)
• Streptomyces spp.: A wide variety of secondary metabolites (e.g. Paclitaxel, Trabectedin, Artemisinin)
• Rhizopus oryzae: Industrial enzymes (e.g. Amylase)
• Bacillus subtilis: Peptides (e.g. Surfactin, Bacillomycin D, Bacilysin)

Our advantages

• We have a complete quality management system with ISO 9001, ISO 22000, and ISO 14001 certification.
• We handle all upstream and downstream processes, quality control, regulatory compliance, and lab testing on-site.
• We have a fermentation capability of over 2,000,000 liters.
• We operate four manufacturing sites to handle large-scale productions.
• We have a dedicated R&D center spanning 2200 sq.m, where we continuously research new technologies and innovations.