Precursor Quantitation Methods for Next Generation Food Production

Food is essential for human survival. Nowadays, traditional agriculture faces challenges in balancing the need of sustainable environmental development and the rising food demand caused by an increasing population. In addition, in the emerging of consumers’ awareness of health related issues bring a growing trend towards novel nature-based food additives. Synthetic biology, using engineered microbial cell factories for production of various molecules, shows great advantages for generating food alternatives and additives, which not only relieve the pressure laid on tradition agriculture, but also create a new stage in healthy and sustainable food supplement. The biosynthesis of food components (protein, fats, carbohydrates or vitamins) in engineered microbial cells often involves cellular central metabolic pathways, where common precursors are processed into different proteins and products. Quantitation of the precursors provides information of the metabolic flux and intracellular metabolic state, giving guidance for precise pathway engineering. In this review, we summarized the quantitation methods for most cellular biosynthetic precursors, including energy molecules and co-factors involved in redox-reactions. It will also be useful for studies worked on pathway engineering of other microbial-derived metabolites. Finally, advantages and limitations of each method are discussed.