Work

Efficient biotechnological production of N-(Hydroxycinnamoyl)tyramines by utilizing plant-derived enzymes in a bench-scale bioreactor with in situ product precipitation

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: The efficient recovery of plant polyphenolic bioactives is facing technological challenges of low concentrations and complex mixtures starting from plant tissue. In the search of alternatives, we developed a high-yield biotechnological production process for hydroxycinnamic acid–tyramine conjugates in Escherichia coli by converting soluble substrates into insoluble products. A recombinant plant-enzyme cascade was established by co-expression of Arabidopsis thaliana 4-coumarate:CoA ligase and Solanum tuberosum hydroxycinnamoyl-CoA:tyramine N -(hydroxycinnamoyl)transferase. We overcame initial enzymatic limitations by developing a temperature adapted and sequentially phased bioprocess on a 1 L reactor scale. With 5 mM/h substrate supply rate we achieved 31.9 g/L (102 mM) of feruloyltyramine (FerT), 14.4 g/L (50.7 mM) coumaroyltyramine, and 14.6 g/L (46.5 mM) isoferuloyltyramine with a space time yield of 1.75 g *L −1 *h −1 FerT. The vast majority of the product was obtained as filterable precipitate, simplifying the downstream process compared to classical procedures. Washed filter cake from a FerT production after filtration via 16–40 µm glass filter, showed 99% mass content of FerT. Product identity was confirmed by NMR after recrystallization. The newly developed process is robust, cost-effective and scalable, paving the way for commercial applications of biotechnologically produced hydroxycinnamic acid–tyramines. Key points • Plant derived enzymes expressed at low temperature enable high productivity • In situ precipitated product is readily filtered from fermentation broth • Carbon transfer rate mirrors toxicity of phenolics and guide process optimization

Source: Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology

DOI: 10.1007/s00253-026-13997-6