2-Phenylethanol (2-PE) is an aromatic alcohol with a pleasant
rose-like
fragrance. It has been widely used in
food, cosmetic, and
pharmaceutical industry. Most of 2-PE is produced by
chemical synthesis, but the use of chemically synthesized product is restricted in some fields. 2-PE from
plant extraction is natural but its
production is very low. Microbial
biotransformation is a promising process to produce natural 2-PE. In this
paper, we
review recent
research progress in the synthetic
metabolic pathways and regulatory processes of 2-PE in
yeast, and
strategies for improving 2-PE
production. Moreover, we discuss the limitation of current progress and
future research directions.