Technical University of Munich (TUM) Professor, Arne Skerra, has developed an innovative technique to use gaseous CO2 as the base material for mass production of methionine. This product is used as an essential amino acid in animal feed. The novel enzymatic process, which is on pace to replace traditional methods, is published in the journal Nature Catalysis.
Traditional industrial production of methionine from petrochemical source materials is accomplished through a multi-step process (six in total) that relies on toxic hydrogen cyanide, in addition to other materials.
Professor Arne Skerra discussed the origin of his research, "Based on the idea that methionine in microorganisms is degraded by enzymes to methional with the release of CO2, we tried to reverse this process, because every chemical reaction is in principle reversible, while often only with the extensive use of energy and pressure."
Skerra’s research has increased the efficiency of the reaction on a laboratory scale to a yield of 40 percent, and further developed the theoretical background of the biochemical processes. Skerra explains, "Compared to the complex photosynthesis, in which nature also biocatalytically incorporates CO2 into biomolecules as a building block, our process is highly elegant and simple. Photosynthesis uses 14 enzymes and has a yield of only 20 percent, while our method requires just two enzymes."