75 Years of Vitamin A Production: A Historical and Scientific Overview of the Development of New Methodologies in Chemistry, Formulation, and Biotechnology

In 1948, the firstkilograms of synthetic vitamin A (acetate) wereproduced by F. Hoffmann-La Roche, eliminating the need to extractthis vital compound from natural sources; this year marks 75 yearsof successful production. Since then, a number of chemical routeshave been commercialized. Of these, three processes have stood thetest of time and are still in use today, with only minor modifications.This review covers both the historical and scientific developmentsin the production of vitamin A derivatives from their beginnings upuntil recent developments including a fully catalytic process andthe successful pilot-scale production via fermentation. In addition,the development of formulation technologies, which have gone hand-in-handwith chemical process development, is described; correct formulationis essential for stabilizing vitamin A derivatives which are sensitiveto light and oxidation.