Production Technology and Applications of Kojic Acid

Kojic acid is produced industrially by Aspergillus species in aerobic fermentation. The production of kojic acid is increasing because of its commercial value in industry. Kojic acid has various applications in several fields. It is widely used in cosmetic industry, medicine, food industry, agriculture and chemical industry. Nowadays, kojic acid plays a crucial role in cosmetic, especially skin care products because it can enhance the ability to prevent exposure to UV-radiation. Kojic acid continues to attract attention because of its economic potential in medical field as an anti-inflammatory drug and painkiller. In food industry, kojic acid is used in post harvest process as an anti-speck and an anti-browning agent for agricultural product. Due to various usage of this organic molecule, the demand of kojic acid has been increasing rapidly. Thus the studies to improve the kojic acid production are still extensively conducted.