{
  "abstract": "Muconic acid (MA) is characterized by two reactive carboxylic acid groups and two conjugated double bonds, making it a highly valuable industrial platform chemical with significant market potential. It serves as a key intermediate in the manufacturing of important commercial chemical products such as adipic acid and terephthalic acid. The finite fossil-based resources and climate issues due to CO2 emission have necessitated the microbial routes for the production of MA, a potential alternative to fossil-based synthesis. This review provides a comprehensive overview of recent progress in the biological production of MA. The article begins with an outline of the present catalytic routes and known biochemical pathways for MA biosynthesis. The review then focuses on metabolic engineering strategies employed in various microbial hosts including Escherichia coli, Corynebacterium glutamicum, and Pseudomonas putida to enhance MA production from diverse feedstocks such as sugars, aromatic compounds, and lignin-derived substrates. Special attention is given to pathway optimization, host tolerance, and strategies enabling efficient conversion of lignin-derived intermediates within integrated biorefinery frameworks. Key challenges associated with scaling up bio-based MA production to industrial levels are discussed, along with potential strategies for developing robust and efficient microbial cell factories. The review concludes with future perspectives and recommendations to accelerate research progress and development in this field.\n\nGraphical Abstract:\n\nSupplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1186/s12934-026-03037-3.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Magan Centre for Applied Mycology, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Cranfield University, Cranfield, MK43 0AL UK",
    "Department of Engineering Technology, Cullen College of Engineering, University of Houston, Sugarland, TX 77479 USA",
    "Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, USA",
    "Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University Uttar Pradesh, Noida, India",
    "Department of Biotechnology, School of Bioengineering, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Kattankulathur, Tamil Nadu 603203 India",
    "Biomass Conversion and Bioproducts Laboratory, Centre for Bioenergy, School of Chemical & Biotechnology, SASTRA Deemed University, Thanjavur, India",
    "Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad, Kandi, Sangareddy, Telangana 502284 India",
    "Yeast Biofuel Group, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi, India",
    "Institute of Chemistry, Bioscience, and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Stavanger, Stavanger, PO Box 8600 Forus, 4036, Norway",
    "School of Biotechnology, Dublin City University, Glasnevin, Dublin, D09 K20V Ireland"
  ],
  "article_type": "review article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 10,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Vinod Kumar"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Satish Kumar Ainala"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Vivek Kumar Gaur"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4
      ],
      "name": "Samuel Jacob"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Yuheng Lin"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        5
      ],
      "name": "Ponnusami Venkatachalam"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        6
      ],
      "name": "Sunil K. Maity"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        7
      ],
      "name": "Naseem A. Gaur"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        8
      ],
      "name": "Gopalakrishnan Kumar"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        9
      ],
      "name": "Vijai Kumar Gupta"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/f2kb4nm1fem9x.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1186/s12934-026-03037-3",
  "fulltext_url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13715105/",
  "id": "f2kb4nm1fem9x",
  "issns": [
    "1475-2859"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1186/s12934-026-03037-3",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC-ND-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC-ND 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "Review"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "1312|Microbial Metabolic Engineering and Bioproduction"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7164859119",
  "pdf_url": null,
  "pmcid": "PMC13715105",
  "pmid": "42298656",
  "published": "2026-06-15",
  "publisher": "BMC",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/f2kb4nm1fem9x.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-01T12:22:28Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13715105",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1186/s12934-026-03037-3"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biochemistry",
      "origin": "openalex:1312|Microbial Metabolic Engineering and Bioproduction",
      "subfield": "molecular-biology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Biological production of muconic acid from renewable biomass: advances in metabolic engineering and lignin valorisation",
  "title_text": "Biological production of muconic acid from renewable biomass: advances in metabolic engineering and lignin valorisation",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-01T12:22:28Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/f2kb4nm1fem9x",
  "venue": "Microbial Cell Factories",
  "versions": []
}