The production of D-acetoin by a transgenic Escherichia coli

Abstract

A 6 kbp SphI fragment encoding genes for the enzymes α-acetolactate synthase (ALS), α-acetolactate decarboxylase (ALDC) and meso-2,3-butanediol dehydrogenase (meso-BDH), involved in the formation of meso-2,3-butanediol (meso-BD) from pyruvic acid, was cloned into plasmid pUC118. When derivatives of this plasmid were introduced into Escherichia coli JM109, the transformants were able to produce D-acetoin (D-AC) without contamination with L-acetoin (L-AC).