Biosynthesis of 2-phenylethanol using tobacco waste as feedstock

2-Phenylethanol (2-PE) is an aromatic alcohol with a rose-like odour, which is widely used in the food, drink and cosmetic industry. It also present in cigarette aromas. As a unique renewable biomass, tobacco contains abundant aromatic compounds, but is rarely used as a feedstock for synthesizing bio-based products. In this study, it was found that 2-PE can be produced from tobacco waste by Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Plackett–Burman design, steepest ascent design and Box–Behnken designs were applied to optimize the fermentation bioprocess, and the maximum titre of 2-PE reached 1.55 g/l. The study explored a new method of 2-PE production and also provided a valuable way to utilize tobacco waste.