Selecting low-cost carbon sources for carotenoid and lipid production by the pink yeast Rhodosporidium toruloides NCYC 921 using flow cytometry

• Published in: Bioresource technology Vol. 158; pp. 355 - 359
• Main Authors: FREITAS, Cláudia, PARREIRA, Teresa Margarida, ROSEIRO, José, REIS, Alberto, DA SILVA, Teresa Lopes
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier 01-04-2014
• Subjects: Basidiomycota - metabolism; Biological and medical sciences; Carbon; Carbon - metabolism; Carob; Carotenoids; Carotenoids - biosynthesis; Flow Cytometry; Food industries; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Lipids; Lipids - biosynthesis; Molasses; Productivity; Syrup; Use and upgrading of agricultural and food by-products. Biotechnology; Yeast; Fodder tree; Flow cytometry; Saccharum; Monocotyledones; Costs; Yeast; Lipids; Carob pulp syrup; Syrup; Basidiomycota; Fungi; Carotenoids; Gramineae; Dicotyledones; Angiospermae; Carob; Ceratonia siliqua; Molasses; Sugarcane molasses; Carbon; Sugar plant; Leguminosae; Spermatophyta; Sugar cane; Carotenoid; Rhodosporidium toruloides
• ISSN: 0960-8524; 1873-2976
• DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2014.02.071

The present work studied low-cost carbon sources for carotenoid and lipid production using the yeast Rhodosporidum toruloides NCYC 921. Carob pulp syrup and sugarcane molasses at different concentrations were used as low-cost carbon sources in R. toruloides batch cultivations. Carob pulp syrup containing a total sugar concentration of 75 g L(-1) induced the highest total fatty acid productivity (1.90 g L(-1)h(-1)) and the highest carotenoid productivity (9.79 μg L(-1)h(-1)). Flow cytometric analysis revealed that most of the yeast cells (>60%) grown on carob pulp syrup displayed intact polarised membranes, conversely to the cells grown on sugarcane molasses, wherein a large proportion (>45%) displayed permeabilised cytoplasmic membranes.