Bio 417

L16 2022

Biotechnology for Nutrition and Wellness

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Dates to Remember!

19th October CA test 2

31st October Project Report submission

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Riboflavin
also called vitamin B2
A water-soluble vitamin produced by plants and
microorganisms
An essential vitamin in the life of animals
it is a major source of flavin cofactors
Please give examples
The cofactors derived from riboflavin are found in
flavoproteins and such proteins are crucial in various
cellular processes; redox homeostasis, protein folding,
DNA repair, fatty acid oxidation, amino acid oxidation as
well as choline metabolism
Hence, riboflavin is commonly used as an additive to food,
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feed and pharmaceuticals
Human beings and other animals lack capacity for de novo
synthesis of riboflavin
They have to regularly obtain it from diet (1.1 to 1.3mg
per day for adult women and men, respectively)
Annual market demand is around 10000 tonnes!
Biologically derived riboflavin is preferred over
chemical synthesis derived riboflavin
A number of microorganisms with capacity to synthesise
riboflavin have been identified and tested and these
include;
B. subtilis, Candida flareri, Ashbya gosspyii and some
lactic acid bacteria.
In-food production of vitamins is a very attractive strategy
for meeting vitamin demands of humans 4
Why?
It represents in situ food fortification
Bifidobacteria have also become attractive candidates for
vitamin production
Can you think of a good reason why?
These ensure continuous supply of vitamins within the
host
Currently, riboflavin production is achieved through use
of genetically engineered organisms as well as through
induced mutants of producer organisms
However, the food industry prefers mutagenesis derived
organisms over recombinant DNA technology derived
organisms for riboflavin production
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Can you think of the reason(s) why?
Biosynthesis of riboflavin….
In Gram-positive bacteria, genes for riboflavin biosynthesis
are organized into an operon
Is there any advantage associated with this type gene
arrangement?

The operon is regulated by an FMN riboswitch

this comprises RNA elements in the 5’ untranslated
region of the rib operon mRNA
this operon consists of an FMN-sensing domain and a
regulatory domain that has the alternating terminator or
‘OFF’ state and the anti-terminator or ‘ON’ state
Picture Please!!!!
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The ability of Gram-positive bacteria to synthesise
riboflavin or acquire it from the environment renders
them sensitive to an analogue of riboflavin called
roseoflavin
Roseoflavin binds to the FMN riboswitch to shut
down the rib operon
Accordingly, roseoflavin is commonly exploited to
select for riboflavin overproducers among bacteria
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that produce it
The riboflavin overproducers derived this way
possess a range of mutations including;
single base mutations and deletions in several
regions of the FMN element
insertions and deletions in the rib operon
NB:
The food industry prefers the mutation induction
derived riboflavin over that derived from genetically
engineered organisms
Is there a (strong) case for such a demand or
preference?
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Please READ: Mohedano et al. (2019) Frontiers
in Microbiol. 10, 1–13.
doi:10.3389/fmicb.2019.01748 11