Sustainable production and biomedical application of polymalic acid from renewable biomass and food processing wastes

Abstract

Polymalic acid (PMA), a homopolymer of L-malic acid (MA) generated from a yeast-like fungus Aureobasidium pullulans, has unique properties and many applications in food, biomedical, and environmental fields. Acid hydrolysis of PMA, releasing the monomer MA, has become a novel process for the production of bio-based MA, which currently is produced by chemical synthesis using petroleum-derived feedstocks. Recently, current researches attempted to develop economically competitive process for PMA and MA production from renewable biomass feedstocks. Compared to lignocellulosic biomass, PMA and MA production from low-value food processing wastes or by-products, generated from corn, sugarcane, or soybean refinery industries, showed more economical and sustainable for developing a MA derivatives platform from biomass biorefinery to chemical conversion. In the review, we compared the process feasibility for PMA fermentation with lignocellulosic biomass and food process wastes. Some useful strategies for metabolic engineering are summarized. Its changeable applicability and future prospects in food and biomedical fields are also discussed.

Keywords:

• Aureobasidium pullulans
• polymalic acid
• food processing wastes
• metabolic engineering
• biomedical application

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [grant number 31871783], [grant number 31571816]; Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities [grant number XDJK2018AC002]; National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (863 Program) [grant number 2015AA021005]; and Chongqing Social and People's Livelihood Guarantee Special Program [grant number cstc2016shmszx80075].