Itaconic acid (methylene succinic acid) is an unsaturated C5 dicarboxylic acid, which can be used in industry as monomer or co-monomer in the manufacture of plastics, resins, synthetic fibers,
paints, surfactant as well as elastomers. Based on its industrial potential, it was selected by the Department of Energy in the US as one of the 12 building block chemicals, which are the most interesting compounds to be produced by industrial biotechnology.