Recent Advances in Microbial Metabolic Engineering for Production of Natural Phenolic Acids.

Phenolic acids are important natural bioactive compounds with varied physiological functions. They are extensively used in food, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and other chemical industries and have attractive market prospects. Compared to plant extraction and chemical synthesis, microbial fermentation for phenolic acid production from renewable carbon sources has significant advantages. This review focuses on the structural information, physiological functions, current applications, and biosynthesis pathways of phenolic acids, especially advances in the development of metabolically engineered microbes for the production of phenolic acids. This review provides useful insights concerning phenolic acid production through metabolic engineering of microbial cell factories.