CSIC researchers patent a new method to produce a potent antioxidant from olive oil
An IATA-CSIC team has developed a microorganism capable of producing abundant hydroxytyrosol, one of the most potent antioxidants known.
Steve Buissinne en Pixabay
A research group of the Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology (IATA), of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), has patented a new method to produce in a clean and cheap way abundant amounts of hydroxytyrosol, one of the most powerful antioxidants known in nature. This substance, with anticarcinogenic, cardioprotective, anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective properties, is found in small amounts in olive oil and wine, among other products. Now, CSIC researchers have developed a recombinant microorganism capable of producing large quantities of very pure hydroxytyrosol from glucose, thus lowering production costs and increasing the yield of the process.
Currently, the main source of hydroxytyrosol comes from olive industry waste, but the complex extraction processes and low yield make the product more expensive. It is also produced by chemical synthesis, using different precursors and multiple complex catalytic processes. The new method developed at IATA-CSIC is based on a well-known microorganism considered safe by the industry, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the wine yeast.
The research team had verified in another work, where they studied its use to produce melatonin, that this yeast also produced hydroxytyrosol, a polyphenol naturally present in olive oil. "From here we started to investigate whether we could use this microorganism as a super-producing strain of hydroxytyrosol," recalls José Manuel Guillamón, the IATA-CSIC researcher leading the study.
To do this, they included genes of bacterial origin, which allows this new microorganism to produce the antioxidant substance in abundance from the glucose available in a very simple and cheap culture medium. This would substantially lower production costs and its price on the market, which is now around 10,000 euros per gram of this pure compound, according to Guillamón.
Nutraceutical and food applications
The researchers have proven in the laboratory that this genetically modified microorganism can be used to obtain hydroxytyrosol with a high degree of purity in a simple way and with a high yield. The use of a microorganism such as wine yeast to produce hydroxytyrosol is something new at world level.
For Guillamón, the main application of this new hydroxytyrosol production method is in the field of nutraceuticals, a flourishing industry that uses natural compounds with therapeutic properties. Hydroxytyrosol is one of the most potent natural antioxidants known, with multiple properties that include lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease, preventing the onset of certain types of cancer (especially colon and skin cancer), as well as anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties.
Other sectors could also benefit from the availability of this molecule, such as the food industry, where it could be used as an additive in certain foods and beverages. For example, in the wine industry, where hydroxytyrosol could be used to reduce sulfites in wine, while providing its beneficial properties.
Other news from the department science
Get the food & beverage industry in your inbox
From now on, don't miss a thing: Our newsletter for the food & beverage sector brings you up to date every Tuesday and Thursday. The latest industry news, product highlights and innovations - compact and easy to understand in your inbox. Researched by us so you don't have to.
