Accumulation of a Direct Precursor to Acrylic Acid from Dairy Waste Fermentation

Member: MicroByre 

Project Dates: 2021 – 2023

This research focused on production of bio-based alternatives to petroleum-derived acrylic acid using a minimally engineered microbial strain. Acrylic acid is an important industrial material used to make vinyl, paints, polishes, plastics, and many other products we use every day. MicroByre’s proprietary strain M. reuterii, a facultative anaerobe that can utilize the dairy industry waste streams as a feedstock, produces reuterin, a bio-based precursor to acrylic acid.  

Over the course of the project, MicroByre produced reuterin in acid whey fermentation medium utilizing glycerol as a feedstock. MicroByre scaled the process from 1 mL to 15 Liter fermentation scale using commercially available fermentation equipment, while maintaining the productivity of the strain. In addition to demonstrating scalable production of reuterin in this organism, the project developed a new method for watermarking microbial strains—an important tool for biotechnology to protect proprietary strains and detect accidental releases. 

Funding source: U.S. Department of Defense