Biotechnological Production of Butyric Acid by Fermentation

Butyric acid is a four-carbon short-chain fatty acid of considerable industrial importance, serving as a precursor for chemicals, biofuels, animal feed supplements and pharmaceuticals. Its biotechnological production relies predominantly on anaerobic fermentation by clostridial species, notably Clostridium tyrobutyricum and Clostridium beijerinckii. Sugars derived from refined substrates or lignocellulosic biomass are channelled through glycolysis to pyruvate, then converted via acetyl-CoA and butyryl-CoA intermediates into butyrate, catalysed by pathways involving CoA transferase or phosphotransbutyrylase–butyrate kinase. Process advances include fed-batch and continuous fermentations, cell immobilisation in bioreactors, in situ product removal through extraction or electrodialysis, and non-sterile semi-solid fermentation. Strain engineering has focused on enhancing tolerance to acid inhibition, expanding substrate range to agro-industrial residues and optimising key enzymes. Downstream separation techniques ensure recovery of high-purity butyrate. The integration of renewable feedstocks, alongside energy-efficient processing and waste valorisation, underscores the role of butyric acid fermentation within the circular bioeconomy and its potential to mitigate reliance on petrochemical routes.

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Biotechnological Production of Butyric Acid by Fermentation publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in biotechnological production of butyric acid by fermentation across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Butyric acid: A four-carbon short-chain fatty acid produced by anaerobic bacteria; used in chemicals, pharmaceuticals and biofuels.

Fermentation: A microbial process converting substrates into acids, alcohols or gases under anaerobic conditions.

Lignocellulosic biomass: Plant-derived material composed of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin, serving as a renewable feedstock.

Clostridium tyrobutyricum: An obligate anaerobe renowned for high butyrate yield and tolerance to acid stress.

CoA transferase: Enzyme that transfers coenzyme A between molecules, enabling the conversion of butyryl-CoA to butyrate.

Fibrous-bed bioreactor: A reactor containing immobilised cells on fibrous media, enhancing cell density and productivity.

References

1. Optimization of Clostridium beijerinckii semi-solid fermentation of rape straw to produce butyric acid by genome analysis. Bioresources and Bioprocessing (2024).
2. Production of butyric acid from acid hydrolysate of corn husk in fermentation by Clostridium tyrobutyricum: kinetics and process economic analysis. Biotechnology for Biofuels and Bioproducts (2018).
3. Deciphering Clostridium tyrobutyricum Metabolism Based on the Whole-Genome Sequence and Proteome Analyses. mBio (2016).