Cart
Table of Contents
Vanillin, the compound responsible for the well-known vanilla aroma, is almost exclusively produced via a chemical process, with only a small fraction extracted from natural sources. In “The Nose Knows: Biotechnological Production of Vanillin” (DOI: 10.1021/ed200271u), Remko T. Winter, Hugo L. van Beek, and Marco W. Fraaije describe a model biotechnological process that exposes students to a greener, chemoenzymatic synthesis of vanillin. Bacterial expression is used to produce the enzyme eugenol oxidase (EUGO), which is bright yellow owing to its covalently bound flavin cofactor. Vanillin is then produced by EUGO through the enzymatic oxidation of vanillyl alcohol. This highly visual and olfactory experiment allows undergraduate students to experience the basic principles of a biotechnological process, enzyme production and purification, and elementary enzyme kinetics. The crystal structure of Rhodococcus sp. strain RHA1 eugenol oxidase with covalently bound FAD 15 cofactor is displayed on the cover. View the article.
indicates the article is freely available through sponsorship by the author or related funding agency.
More about this program.
