Chapter 8 - Recent Advances in the Industrial Production of l-Lysine by Bacteria

Abstract

Amino acids are nutritionally important compounds for all living organisms. All the 20 common amino acids have different chemical properties with varied commercial interest. l-lysine is an essential amino acid that is commercially very important due to its need in animal and human feed to meet their nutritional requirement. Owing to the increased demand of l-lysine, there is necessity to produce it on a large scale. The most predominant method of lysine production is through bacterial fermentation of carbohydrates predominantly with Corynebacterium glutamicum. Genomic tools and metabolic engineering led to the concept of genome breeding. Owing to the availability of complete genome sequences, desired genotypes that aid in increased industrial production are systematically introduced into the wild-type genome. This mechanism was first used in the industrial production of l-lysine to improve the overall production process and yields. The present review focuses on the recent advances made in the production of l-lysine.