Co-culture of Kluyveromyces marxianus and Meyerozyma guilliermondii with In Situ Product Recovery of 2-Phenylethanol

Production of 2-phenylethanol (2-PE) via Kluyveromyces marxianus is well-established. However, co-culture with other microbes in combination with in situ product recovery (ISPR) yields improved selectivity and volumetric productivity. Fermentation ofK. marxianus (MUCL 53775) with direct inclusion of absorptive polymer Hytrel3548 achieved ISPR, but accumulation of the byproduct phenylethyl acetate (PEA) was strongly favored. Co-culture of K. marxianus (MUCL 53775) with Meyerozyma guilliermondii (MUCL 28072) with ISPR limited PEA production, thereby improving the 2-PE selectivity from 13 to 90%, compared to a pure culture of K. marxianus (MUCL 53775) under similar conditions. This improved the volumetric productivity by 85% compared to 2-PE ISPR with a pure culture of K. marxianus. This is the first report of co-culture in a two-phase fermentation for 2-PE bioproduction and demonstrates that interactions between co-culture and ISPR techniques can modulate bioproduction between 2-PE and byproduct PEA, and this technique will be explored for other strain combinations and for other high-value molecules of interest.