Biocatalytic fumarate synthesis from pyruvate and CO2 as a feedstock

Fumarate is a useful unsaturated dicarboxylic acid that is used as a raw material for unsaturated polyester resins and polyhydric alcohols and as a mordant for dyes. Fumaric acid is synthesized from petroleum-derived benzene or butane as a starting material, and it is desired to develop a method for preparing it from renewable raw materials. In this work, the biocatalytic synthesis of fumarate from CO2 and pyruvate vial-malate as an intermediate in an aqueous medium using a biocatalytic system consisting of malate dehydrogenase (oxaloacetate-decarboxylating; ME) and fumarase (FUM) in the presence of NADH is accomplished. The conversion yield for pyruvate to fumarate with the system of ME and FUM in the presence of NADH was estimated to be 14.4% after 25 h.