Adding value to plant oils and fatty acids: Biological transformation of fatty acids into ω-hydroxycarboxylic, α,ω-dicarboxylic, and ω-aminocarboxylic acids

Not only short chain omega-hydroxycarboxylic acids, alpha,omega-dicarboxylic acids, and omega-aminocarboxylic acids but also medium to long chain carboxylic acids are widely used as building blocks and intermediates in the chemical, pharmaceutical, and food industries. Thereby, recent achievements in biological production of medium to long chain carboxylic acids are addressed here. omega-Hydroxycarboxylic and alpha,omega-dicarboxylic acids were synthesized via terminal C-H bond oxygenation of fatty acids and/or internal oxidative cleavage of the fatty acid carbon skeletons. omega-Aminocarboxylic acids were enzymatically produced from omega-hydroxycarboxylic acids via omega-oxocarboxylic acids. Productivities and product yields of some of the products are getting close to the industrial requirements for large scale production. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.