Biomanufacturing of myo-Inositol and Healthy Sugars via In Vitro Biotransformation (ivBT).

Biomanufacturing holds immense promise for the sustainable development of human society. Over the past decade, in vitro biotransformation (ivBT) has emerged as a cost-competitive platform for the biomanufacturing of diverse biocommodities. The industrialization of ivBT began with myo-inositol, followed closely by the upcoming commercialization of two healthy sugars (i.e., D-tagatose and D-mannose). Currently, ivBT enables the world's largest myo-inositol factory owned by Bohaoda Biotechnology Co. Ltd. located in Sichuan, China, with an annual production capacity of 10,000 tons, while the industrial-scale facilities for D-tagatose and D-mannose are under development in Tianjin, China. In this chapter, we introduce the biomanufacturing of myo-inositol and a healthy sugar (i.e., D-tagatose) via ivBT. We highlight the importance of these products, their production methods, and the unique advantages of ivBT. Notably, we provide a first-hand account on the R&D journey behind these innovations. Overall, ivBT was expected to open the era of Biomanufacturing 4.0, contributing to the industrial biomanufacturing of not only inositol and healthy sugars, but also artificial food and renewable energy.