Patent ID: 9206443
Filing Date: 2015-12-08
Classification: C07C,C12N,C12P,Y02E

Abstract:
1. A method of producing an alcohol, comprising: growing a plurality of microbial cells in a fermentation medium, wherein the cells are genetically modified to have an increased metabolic activity as compared to the same cells without modification; wherein the increased metabolic activity is characterized by increased conversion of pyruvate or 2-ketobutyrate to an aldehyde via introduction and expression of recombinant pyruvate decarboxylase or 2-ketoisovalerate decarboxylase, respectively, and via a knockout mutation in (i) a pathway converting pyruvate to acetate and (ii) a pathway converting 2-ketoisovalerate to L-valine; wherein the plurality of microbial cells are further genetically modified to have a decreased alcohol dehydrogenase activity, wherein the alcohol dehydrogenase activity is decreased at least 70% as compared to the same cells without further modification, and wherein the decreased alcohol dehydrogenase activity is due to deletion of adhE, yqhD, and yiaY, and optionally deletion of a non-specific alcohol dehydrogenase; continuously or semi-continuously removing the aldehyde in a vapor phase from the fermentation medium; condensing the aldehyde from the vapor phase; and reducing the condensed aldehyde to the corresponding alcohol.