Progresses in Fermentative Production of γ-Linolenic Acid

γ-Linolenic acid is an essential fatty acid of ω-6 series with a variety of special physiological function for human beings.It is available commercially in seed oils from black currant,evening primrose,borage,and so on.However,this means is limited by many factors,and can not meet the huge requirement of human beings.Therefore,it might be expected that potential commercial sources of γ-linolenic acid may be found among the microorganism.The present review outlines the status of our current understanding on γ-linolenic acid by microbial fermentation,including the strains and the metabolite pathways.Breeding strategies,including mutation breeding and molecular breeding,are especially introduced.In addition,the effect of various factors on the fermentative production of γ-linolenic acid,such as carbon sources,nitrogen sources,cheap substances,trace minerals,temperature,morphology,and solid state fermentation were summarized.At last,the future research emphasis was prospected.