This document describes biochemical pathways for producing 7-hydroxyheptanoate methyl ester and heptanoic acid heptyl ester using one or more of a fatty acid O-methyltransferase, an alcohol O-acetyltransferase, and a monooxygenase, as well as recombinant hosts expressing one or more of such exogenous enzymes. 7-hydroxyheptanoate methyl esters and heptanoic acid heptyl esters can be enzymatically converted to pimelic acid, 7-aminoheptanoate, 7-hydroxyheptanoate, heptamethylenediamine, or 1,7-heptanediol.

This document describes biochemical pathways for producing 7-hydroxyheptanoate methyl ester and heptanoic acid heptyl ester using one or more of a fatty acid O-methyltransferase, an alcohol O-acetyltransferase, and a monooxygenase, as well as recombinant hosts expressing one or more of such exogenous enzymes. 7-hydroxyheptanoate methyl esters and heptanoic acid heptyl esters can be enzymatically converted to pimelic acid, 7-aminoheptanoate, 7-hydroxyheptanoate, heptamethylenediamine, or 1,7-heptanediol.

Microorganisms and methods of producing n-butyraldehyde with enhanced yields are presented in which a microorganism is engineered to enhance the conversion of a carbon source into n-butyraldehyde. The n-butyraldehyde is recovered by way of a gas stripping process that occurs during the conversion process, providing significantly greater product yield than post-fermentation recovery of n-butyraldehyde alone.

Microorganisms and methods of producing n-butyraldehyde with enhanced yields are presented in which a microorganism is engineered to enhance the conversion of a carbon source into n-butyraldehyde. The n-butyraldehyde is recovered by way of a gas stripping process that occurs during the conversion process, providing significantly greater product yield than post-fermentation recovery of n-butyraldehyde alone.

Embodiments provide a modified microbe capable of growing in or fermenting a solution, or lignocellulosic hydrolysate, comprising ferulic acid and/or coniferyl aldehyde. The microbe has one or more modifications to provide: (a) a decrease in copy number or expression of a BNA7 gene; (b) an increase in copy number or expression of one or more pentose phosphate pathway genes; and/or (c) localization of one or more products of the pentose phosphate pathway genes to the mitochondria or endoplasmic reticulum. Also provided is a microbe having modified expression or copy number of BNA7 and/or one or more of the pentose phosphate pathway genes. The pentose phosphate pathway genes may in certain embodiments be selected from at least one of ZWF1, TKL1, RPE1 and GND1. Also provided is a method for fermenting a substrate comprising ferulic acid and/or coniferyl aldehyde to produce a fermentation product.

Embodiments provide a modified microbe capable of growing in or fermenting a solution, or lignocellulosic hydrolysate, comprising ferulic acid and/or coniferyl aldehyde. The microbe has one or more modifications to provide: (a) a decrease in copy number or expression of a BNA7 gene; (b) an increase in copy number or expression of one or more pentose phosphate pathway genes; and/or (c) localization of one or more products of the pentose phosphate pathway genes to the mitochondria or endoplasmic reticulum. Also provided is a microbe having modified expression or copy number of BNA7 and/or one or more of the pentose phosphate pathway genes. The pentose phosphate pathway genes may in certain embodiments be selected from at least one of ZWF1, TKL1, RPE1 and GND1. Also provided is a method for fermenting a substrate comprising ferulic acid and/or coniferyl aldehyde to produce a fermentation product.

Described is a method for the incorporation of formaldehyde into biomass comprising the following enzymatically catalyzed steps (1) condensation of pyruvate with formaldehyde into 4-hydroxy-2-oxobutanoic acid (HOB); (2) amination of the thus produced 4-hydroxy-2-oxobutanoic acid (HOB) to produce homoserine; (3) conversion of thus produced homoserine to threonine; (4) conversion of the thus produced threonine into glycine and acetaldehyde or acetyl-CoA; (5) condensation of the thus produced glycine with formaldehyde to produce serine; and (6) conversion of the thus produced serine to produce pyruvate, wherein said pyruvate can then be used as a substrate in step (1).

The present invention relates to a method for separating biomass from a solution comprising bi-omass and at least one aroma compound. comprising providing the solution comprising bio-mass and aroma compounds. lowering the pH value of the solution below 7 by adding at least one acid to the solution comprising biomass and the at least one aroma compound. adding an adsorbing agent to the solution comprising biomass and aroma compounds. and carrying out first membrane filtration so as to separate the biomass from the solution comprising the at least one aroma compound.

Provided is a method of producing a product by culturing a carboxydotrophic acetogenic bacterium with a disrupting mutation in a lactate dehydrogenase enzyme in the presence of a substrate comprising CO, CO.sub.2, and/or H.sub.2. Preferably, the disrupting mutation reduces or eliminates the expression or activity of the enzyme such that the bacterium produces a reduced amount of lactate or no lactate.

Provided herein is a non-naturally occurring microbial organism (NNOMO) having a methanol metabolic pathway (MMP) that can enhance the availability of reducing equivalents in the presence of methanol. Such reducing equivalents can be used to increase the product yield of organic compounds produced by the microbial organism, such as succinate. Also provided herein are methods for using such an organism to produce succinate.