MINI-REVIEW Metabolic engineering of Rhizopus oryzae for the production of platform chemicals

Abstract Rhizopus oryzae is a filamentous fungus belong-ing to the Zygomycetes. It is among others known for its ability to produce the sustainable platform chemicals L-(+)-lactic acid, fumaric acid, and ethanol. During glycol-ysis, all fermentable carbon sources are metabolized to pyruvate and subsequently distributed over the pathways leading to the formation of these products. These platform chemicals are produced in high yields on a wide range of carbon sources. The yields are in excess of 85 % of the theoretical yield for L-(+)-lactic acid and ethanol and over 65 % for fumaric acid. The study and optimization of the metabolic pathways involved in the production of these com-pounds requires well-developed metabolic engineering tools and knowledge of the genetic makeup of this organism. This review focuses on the current metabolic engineering techni-ques available for R. oryzae and their application on the metabolic pathways of the main fermentation products