Coproduction of Phase-Separated Carotenoids and β-Farnesene as a Yeast Biomass Valorization Strategy.

Valorization, the process whereby waste materials are converted into more valuable products, is rarely practiced in industrial fermentation. We developed a model valorization system whereby that had previously been engineered to produce high concentrations (>100 g/L) of extracellular β-farnesene was further engineered to simultaneously produce intracellular carotenoids, both products being isoprenoids. Thus, a single fermentation generates two valuable products, namely, β-farnesene in the liquid phase and carotenoids in the solid biomass phase.