Fumaric acid production by Rhizopus sp.

Fumaric acid, which is considered as an important platform compound and fine chemical, has been widely used in many fields such as materials, medicine, foods, feeds and so on. The production of fumaric acid using renewable resources as the substrate is a promising route since this way can meet the requirement of green industry, health safety and sustainable development. In this paper, the fumaric acid producing strain Rhizopus species and the metabolic mechanism of fumaric acid production have been reviewed. The effects on the production and cost of fumaric acid of nutritional components, mycelial morphology, the control of pH and the technology of separation and recovery are discussed in detail. With the development of science and technology, advanced approaches will be applied to improve the strains and current technology. Industrial manufacture of fumaric acid by fermentation is expected to be realized in future.