The efficient green bio-manufacturing of Vitamin K: design, production and applications.

Vitamin K, also known as methylnaphthoquinone, is a crucial fat-soluble nutrient necessary for the human body. The biological production of Vitamin K has received widespread attention due to its environmental friendliness and maneuverability in recent years. This review provides insights into the modular metabolic pathways of Vitamin K, lays the foundation for microbial metabolic flow balancing, cofactor engineering and dynamic regulation, and realizes the production of Vitamin K by synthesizing artificial cells from scratch. With the intensive development of modern fermentation technology, methods for the preparation of Vitamin K using the fermentation strategies of co-culturing and biofilm reactors have emerged. In prokaryotes, the introduction of heptenyl pyrophosphate synthase (HepPPS) and mevalonate acid (MVA) pathway solved the problem of insufficient precursors for Vitamin K production but still did not meet the market demand. Therefore, enhancing expression through multi-combinatorial metabolic regulation and innovative membrane reactors is an entry point for future research. Due to the light-induced decomposition and water-insoluble nature of Vitamin K, the secretion regulation and purification processing also need to be considered in the actual production. Also, it summarizes the research progress of Vitamin K in the food and pharmaceutical fields. Additionally, the future development trend and application prospect of Vitamin K are also discussed to provide guidance for Vitamin K biosynthesis and application.