Microbial and enzymatic production of L-carnitine

L-Carnitine (vitamin BT) plays a vital role in the transportation of long-c hain fatty acids into mitochondrial matrix in mammals. L-Carnitine has a wi de range of applications in pharmaceuticals, food products, and feed additi ves. Due to the increasing demand for L-carnitine in food and pharmaceutica l applications, production of this compound has become prominent. However, very little has been reported on the production of L-carnitine. This review discusses the microbial and the enzymatic production of L-carnitine from d ifferent starting materials (substrates).