Microbial Squalene: A Sustainable Alternative for the Cosmetics and Pharmaceutical Industry - A Review.
- 2024-08-27
- Engineering in life sciences 24(10)
- Saseendran Shalu
- Panam Kunnel Raveendranathan Karthikanath
- Vinoth Kumar Vaidyanathan
- Lars M Blank
- Andrea Germer
- Palanisamy Athiyaman Balakumaran
- PubMed: 39391272
- DOI: 10.1002/elsc.202400003
Study Design
- Type
- Review
Squalene is a natural triterpenoid and a biosynthetic precursor of steroids and hopanoids in microorganisms, plants, humans, and other animals. Squalene has exceptional properties, such as its antioxidant activity, a high penetrability of the skin, and the ability to trigger the immune system, promoting its application in the cosmetic, sustenance, and pharmaceutical industries. Because sharks are the primary source of squalene, there is a need to identify low-cost, environment friendly, and sustainable alternatives for producing squalene commercially. This shift has prompted scientists to apply biotechnological advances to research microorganisms for synthesizing squalene. This review summarizes recent metabolic and bioprocess engineering strategies in various microorganisms for the biotechnological production of this valuable molecule.