Resveratrol is a well-known polyphenol present in red wine and exerts antioxidative and anti-carcinogenic effects on the human body. To produce resveratrol in a food-grade yeast, the 4-coumarate:coenzyme A ligase gene (4CL1) from Arabidopsis thaliana and stilbene synthase gene (STS) from Arachis hypogaea were cloned and transformed into Saccharomyces cerevisiae W303-1A. The resveratrol produced was unglycosylated and secreted into the culture medium. A batch culture with 15.3 mg/l p-coumaric acid used as precursor resulted in the production of 3.1 mg/l resveratrol with 14.4 mol% yield. Deletion of the putative phenyl acrylic acid decarboxylase gene (PAD1) did not enhance resveratrol production. (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.