Catalytic synthesis of 2,5-bis(hydroxymethyl)furan from 5-hydroxymethylfurfual by recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

2,5-Bis(hydroxymethyl)furan (BHMF) is a versatile building block in the synthesis of polymers, fuels, and macrocycle polyethers. In this work, alcohol dehydrogenases (ADHs) were identified from Meyerozyma guilliermondii SC1103 and were heterologously expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae for the synthesis of BHMF from 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF). Of recombinant strains constructed, S. cerevisiae expressing an aryl ADH (MgAAD1669) was observed to be the best catalyst. Upon process optimization, BHMF was afforded with a 99% selectivity and a 94% yield within 24 h at the substrate concentration of 250 mM. The space-time yield up to 3.4 g/L h was achieved in the fed-batch synthesis of BHMF. Inexpensive corncob hydrolysate proved to be a promising alternative to glucose as co-substrate for biocatalytic synthesis of BHMF, thus resulting in the significantly reduced production cost.