Lycopene High-Purity Synthesis via Engineered E. coli Service

Lycopene, a crucial natural carotenoid with applications in food coloring and medicine, is primarily sourced from plants or chemical synthesis. However, plant extraction yields low purity due to co-extracted contaminants, while chemical synthesis generates undesirable isomers that impact product efficacy and regulatory compliance. This necessitates a switch to a reliable, high-purity biomanufacturing route.

CD Biosynsis offers a dedicated metabolic engineering solution for Lycopene production. We focus on optimization of the heterologous expression system in Escherichia coli to maximize yield and purity. This is achieved through the overexpression of key rate-limiting enzymes, GGPP synthase and phytoene synthase , integrated with upstream pathway boosting. Our goal is to provide a genetically stable, high-titer E. coli chassis that produces high-purity, all- trans -Lycopene, ensuring consistent quality for high-value markets.

Pain Points

Industrial production of Lycopene via traditional methods and initial microbial attempts face critical quality and yield limitations:

• Low Precursor Availability: The native E. coli central metabolic pathway and the upstream MEP pathway limit the supply of the direct precursor, Geranylgeranyl Diphosphate (GGPP) , thereby severely restricting Lycopene synthesis.
• Pathway Rate-Limitation: The enzymes responsible for the first dedicated step, GGPP synthase (CrtE) , and the key step, phytoene synthase (CrtB) , often have low intrinsic activity or poor expression, creating the major rate-limiting bottleneck .
• Isomer Contamination: In chemical synthesis or poorly controlled conditions, Lycopene readily isomerizes from the active all- trans form to less bioactive cis -isomers, leading to lower product quality and efficacy .
• Toxicity and Storage Issues: Lycopene and its intermediates are hydrophobic and potentially toxic to the E. coli cell at high concentrations, leading to cell stress, reduced growth, and product loss.

Overcoming these issues requires maximizing precursor flux and optimizing the core catalytic steps within a robust host.

Solutions

CD Biosynsis utilizes comprehensive pathway and host engineering to transform E. coli into a Lycopene super-producer:

Optimization of Heterologous Expression System

           

We optimize gene dosage, promoter strength, and ribosome binding sites for the entire pathway (CrtE, CrtB, CrtI), ensuring the pathway is balanced and highly expressed within the E. coli chassis.

Overexpression of GGPP Synthase (CrtE) and Phytoene Synthase (CrtB)

We specifically target the CrtE and CrtB enzymes for high-level, stable overexpression, successfully removing the two major bottlenecks and accelerating the conversion of GGPP to phytoene and ultimately Lycopene.

Upregulation of Upstream MEP Pathway

We apply gene editing (e.g., promoter engineering) to the MEP pathway in E. coli , boosting the supply of isopentenyl diphosphate (IPP) and dimethylallyl diphosphate (DMAPP), the fundamental building blocks for all carotenoids.

Enhanced Product Purity and Intracellular Storage

The host is modified to create dedicated Lycopene storage sites (e.g., via lipid droplets) to prevent degradation and isomerization , ensuring the final product remains highly pure all- trans -Lycopene.

This integrated approach maximizes metabolic flux and guarantees the production of high-quality, high-purity Lycopene for health and industrial uses.

Advantages

Choosing CD Biosynsis's Lycopene engineering service offers the following core value:

High Purity All- trans -Lycopene Production

Microbial synthesis minimizes the formation of undesirable cis -isomers, delivering a product with superior bioactivity and purity compared to chemical synthesis.

Scalable and Cost-Effective E. coli Host

Using the well-understood E. coli host ensures the process is highly scalable, fast, and cost-effective , leveraging existing industrial fermentation infrastructure.

Robust Precursor Flux

Optimization of the upstream MEP pathway and key enzyme overexpression ensures maximal carbon flux is directed to Lycopene synthesis, boosting final titer.

Superior Batch-to-Batch Consistency

Controlled fermentation eliminates the variability inherent in plant extraction (climate, harvest time), ensuring consistent yield and quality in every batch.

Reduced Downstream Processing

The high purity of the bioproduct reduces the need for complex separation steps required to remove plant impurities or synthetic isomers.

We deliver the technology to transition Lycopene production from traditional volatile methods to a stable, high-performance biomanufacturing platform.

Process

CD Biosynsis's Lycopene strain engineering service follows a standardized research workflow, ensuring every step is precise and controllable:

• Metabolic Analysis and Target Definition: Define the target Lycopene titer (g/L). Conduct a Flux Balance Analysis (FBA) on the MEP and Lycopene pathways to quantify GGPP limitations and identify core bottlenecks (CrtE and CrtB).
• Pathway Engineering and Enzyme Overexpression: Optimize the MEP pathway via promoter engineering. Overexpress codon-optimized CrtE and CrtB using highly stable, integrated chromosomal expression systems.
• Host Stability and Storage Optimization: Modify host genes to improve membrane stability or engineer intracellular structures (e.g., lipid bodies) to enhance the storage and stability of all- trans -Lycopene .
• Performance Validation Experiments: Conduct comparative fed-batch fermentation, measuring the difference in final Lycopene titer (g/L) and all- trans purity between the engineered strain and the parent strain using HPLC/GC-MS .
• Result Report Output: Compile a Strain Engineering Experimental Report that includes genetic modification maps, FBA data, fermentation kinetics, and a final purity/titer certificate, supporting industrial scale-up.

Technical communication is maintained throughout the process, focusing on timely feedback regarding yield improvement and purity maintenance.

Transition to stable, high-purity Lycopene bioproduction! CD Biosynsis provides customized strain engineering solutions:

• Detailed MEP Pathway Flux Analysis Report , pinpointing precise areas for precursor boost.
• Contracted clients receive consultation on optimizing the fermentation oxygen and light exposure protocols to minimize cis -isomer formation.
• Experimental reports include complete raw data on titer, purity, and long-term strain stability , essential for regulatory and marketing claims.