Microbial and enzymatic production of l-carnitine

l-Carnitine (vitamin B_T) plays a vital role in the transportation of long-chain fatty acids into mitochondrial matrix in mammals. l-Carnitine has a wide range of applications in pharmaceuticals, food products, and feed additives. Due to the increasing demand for l-carnitine in food and pharmaceutical 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 different starting materials (substrates).