Recent Advances in Microbial Production of Terpenoids from Biomass-derived Feedstocks

Terpenoids are a diverse class of natural products widely used as pharmaceuticals, perfumes, flavors, and biofuels. Traditionally, terpenoids are obtained from natural sources, such as plants, but their production is limited by the insufficiency of resources and low yields of extraction. Microbial production of terpenoids has emerged as a promising alternative due to that it is sustainable and easy to scale up. This review aims to summarize recent advances in microbial production of terpenoids from inexpensive biomass-derived feedstocks. Metabolic pathways and key enzymes involved in terpenoid biosynthesis are introduced. Microorganisms that can utilize low-cost lignocellulosic feedstocks for terpenoid production are highlighted. The challenges and prospects faced by microbial terpenoid production are proposed. We believe that continuous progress in the fields of biomass transformation and synthetic biology will ultimately achieve industrial production of microbial terpenoids.