Prospects of Development of Biotechnologies for Citric Acid Production

The biotechnological production of citric acid (CA) is one of the largest and fastest-growing sectors in the global biotechnology market. It is produced in crystalline form and as citrate salts and is widely employed in the food industry, household chemicals, cosmetics, metallurgy, and the petroleum extraction sector. Global CA production exceeds two million tons per year and is increasing by approximately 4% annually. Traditional biotechnological CA production relies on the utilization of mycelial fungi, specifically Aspergillus niger as the producer. Various alternative CA producers, including yeast and bacteria-based systems, have been described. However, from an economic standpoint, they lag behind industrial Aspergillus niger producers. Among the most promising, environmentally friendly, and high-tech CA producers are strains of the yeast Yarrowia lipolytica. The development of competitive biotechnologies for CA production using Y. lipolytica yeast strains with glucose as a carbon source has become feasible due to advancements in understanding the genetic control of CA transport and metabolism within the cell.