6 - Oleaginous yeasts: phylogenetic diversity and strain selection for biodiesel production

Abstract

There are growing interests in lipids or triacylglycerols (TAGs) from oleaginous yeasts in recent years. Yeasts possess the ability to convert agro and industrial residues into TAGs. In the production of biodiesel, TAGs are indispensable as raw materials. It is thought that biodiesel can be produced more economically by using sustainable and low-cost carbon sources from microbial oils. TAGs from oleaginous yeasts offer a promising solution, as under optimal conditions, oleaginous yeasts can accumulate up to 70% of their cell weight in the form of TAGs. Although oleaginous yeasts produce oils similar to vegetable oils with their fatty acid composition, they have important advantages such as being easier to produce, not being affected by agricultural problems, being able to thrive in extreme conditions and short life spans. A large variety of oleaginous yeast genera can be found in soil, common surfaces, and fruit products. Among the yeasts that have a wide variety of species, only 70 of them are oleaginous yeasts. The addition of new species to oleaginous yeasts continues today with screening studies. With the screening studies to be carried out using yeasts, future research will focus on the microbial conversion of cheap carbon sources to a product with high added value such as biodiesel and the detection of new species that can be used in this transformation and the production of biodiesel feedstock with an environmentalist approach.