Growth condition for over production of odd-chain fatty acids in the methylotrophic yeast Komagataella phaffii GS115

Abstract

C17 fatty acids, which are odd-chain fatty acids (OcFAs), have attractive commercial and medical value. Komagataella phaffii, a promising species of methylotrophic yeast, has received increasing attention due to its unique features. Especially, the insanely higher yield of C17 fatty acids in fermentation, compared with other methylotrophic yeast species, is expected to confirm K. phaffii as a promising biorefinery host for production of OcFAs. Moreover, co-supplementation of 0.1% propionate and 10 mM valine in a glucose-based medium, increased the productivity of C17 fatty acids in K. phaffii by 11.7-fold, and its production reached 4.36 mg/L. This research presents new insights into a non-genetically engineered method of OcFAs biosynthesis in K. phaffii.