Pantothenic Acid – Applications, Synthesis and Biosynthesis

PANTOTHENIC ACID – APPLICATIONS, SYNTHESIS AND BIOSYNTHESIS (Abstract): Pantothenic acid, also known as vitamin B5 or anti-stress vitamin, is a water-soluble vitamin with various applications in pharmaceutical industry (ointments, solut ions for treating lesions and irritation of the skin or mucous membranes, multivitamin supplements tablets, capsules, effervescent tablets, chewable tablets, syrups), food industry (dietetic foods, baby products, cereals, juices), cosmetics (component of shampoos, hair masks, balms, creams and sunscreen lotions, baby products), and widely used as feed additive. Currently, pantothenic acid is produced by chemical synthesis using pantolactone and the calcium salt of β alanine, but it can also be obtained by fermentation processes which involve different bacterial species, as well as a number of yeasts. Lately, the demand for pantothenic acid for cosmetic and dermatocosmetic industry registered a significant increase. In this context, obtaining pantothenic acid by fermentation has become a promising method because it does not have a negative environmental impact, it uses renewable resources and cheap raw materials, and global consumer demand for organic products is increasingly higher.