D-galacturonic acid catabolism in microorganisms and its biotechnological relevance.
D-Galacturonic acid is the main constituent of pectin, a naturally abundant compound. Pectin-rich residues accumulate when sugar is extracted from sugar beet or juices are produced from citrus fruits. It is a cheap raw material but currently mainly used as animal feed. Pectin has the potential to be an important raw material for biotechnological conversions to fuels or chemicals. In this paper, we review the microbial pathways for the catabolism of D-galacturonic acid that would be relevant for the microbial conversion to useful products.
Richard
Peter
P
VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, PO Box 1000, 02044 VTT, Espoo, Finland. Peter.Richard@vtt.fi
Hilditch
Satu
S
D001419:Bacteria / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D001709:Biotechnology; D005285:Fermentation; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D005658:Fungi / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism*; D006603:Hexuronic Acids / Q000378:metabolism*; D007218:Industrial Microbiology; D010368:Pectins / Q000378:metabolism; D010944:Plants / Q000378:metabolism
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D005656:Fungal Proteins; D006603:Hexuronic Acids; C007819:galacturonic acid; D010368:Pectins