Patent ID: 8728780

Claim:
A process for producing hydroxycarboxylic acids with aliphatic polyhydric alcohols having a terminal hydroxyl group as a substrate, which comprises: reacting an aliphatic polyhydric alcohol having a terminal hydroxyl group with an Escherichia coli which has imparted or enhanced lactaldehyde reductase activity, thereby producing a hydroxycarboxylic acid, wherein: said Escherichia coli comprises a plasmid comprising a gene encoding a lactaldehyde reductase, said aliphatic polyhydric alcohol having a terminal hydroxyl group is ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, or glycerol, wherein an endogenous glycolate oxidase and/or an endogenous pyruvate formate-lyase activity of said Escherichia coli is inactivated or decreased, and further wherein the yield of said hydroxycarboxylic acid is not less than 95% and the production rate is not less than 2 g/L/hr.