Isolation and characterization of a mutant of Candida lipolytica which excretes long-chain fatty acids.

Abstract

We isolated a mutant strain of Candida lipolytica which produces long-chain fatty acids in the culture medium. The procedure for the isolation of the mutant consisted of two steps: the first was the screening of strains which exhibited a low cellular density by Percoll density gradient centrifugation, and the second was the screening of strains which were capable of supporting the growth of fatty acid auxotrophic cells layered on the mutant colonies. One of the mutant strains produced more than 1 mg of fatty acids per ml of the medium under optimal conditions. The excreted fatty acids were mainly palmitic and stearic acids in the nonesterified form.