Recent advances in bio-based production of organic acids by genetically engineered yeasts

In order to achieve the sustainable development of society and reduce environmental footprint of chemical industry, some cleaner and greener production methods are still needed. Microbial fermentation has shown great potentials for sustainable production of chemicals, which can convert renewable resources into different products under mild conditions. Particularly, organic acids production has become a highly competitive and rapidly developed field, as they show broad applications in food, cosmetic and medical areas. Especially, yeasts have shown many advantages in organic acids production especially at high osmotic pressure or low pH. Accordingly, this review will discuss the latest progress of engineered yeasts as cell factories for organic acids production. Different strategies for improvement of organic acids production will be introduced, and future perspectives will also be proposed. • Latest development in organic acids production by engineered yeasts were summarized. • Metabolic pathway engineering strategies for C3 to C6 organic acids production were presented respectively. • The similarity of metabolic strategies and different effects of different organic acids were compared. • Future prospects of improving yeast performance for organic acids production were proposed.