Chapter 9 - Microbial lipids production by oleaginous yeasts

Abstract

Oleaginous microorganisms have the potential to convert an array of carbon sources into intracellular lipid molecules resulting in high lipid production. These lipids are also called single cell oils (SCOs) that are produced during nitrogen limitation and excess of carbon source conditions in the stationary phase of microbial growth. Depending upon different types of oleaginous species such as yeast, microalgae, bacteria, and filamentous fungi, microbial lipids differ in their fatty acid profile composition and are thus, suitably utilized in different industrial applications. Among different oleaginous species, oleaginous yeasts are considered as a prime candidate for microbial lipid or oil production owing to their high lipid content that, in turn, can be valorized into different products of commercial interest. Oleaginous yeasts have received attention because of their easy acclimatization to the surroundings and ease of genetic modifications that produce high cell density in terms of lipid or oils utilizing low-cost raw materials. In this chapter, we focus on the oleaginous yeasts and advantages of yeasts lipid, the biochemical mechanism of yeasts lipid accumulation, lipid content and fatty acid compositional analysis, innovation and state of the art in oleaginous yeast lipid production, applications of derived lipids along with major issues in lipid production technology.