Process Biotechnology
  Microbial Biotechnology
Electronic Journal of Biotechnology ISSN: 0717-3458 Vol. 10 No. 3, Issue of July 15, 2007
© 2007 by Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso -- Chile Received December 20, 2006 / Accepted March 5, 2007
DOI: 10.2225/vol10-issue3-fulltext-8
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Industrial derivative of tallow: a promising renewable substrate for microbial lipid, single-cell protein and lipase production by Yarrowia lipolytica

Seraphim Papanikolaou*
Department of Food Science and Technology
Agricultural University of Athens
75 Iera Odos, 11855-Athens, Greece
Tel: 30 210 5294700
Fax: 30 210 5294700
E-mail: spapanik@aua.gr

Isabelle Chevalot
Laboratoire des Sciences du Génie Chimique
C.N.R.S. - E.N.S.I.C./E.N.S.A.I.A
U.P.R. 6811, 13, rue du Bois de la Champelle
54500 - Vandœuvre-Lès-Nancy, France
E-mail: Isabelle.Chevalot@ensaia.inpl-nancy.fr

Maria Galiotou-Panayotou
Department of Food Science and Technology
Agricultural University of Athens
75 Iera Odos, 11855 - Athens, Greece
E-mail: mgal@aua.gr

Michael Komaitis
Department of Food Science and Technology
Agricultural University of Athens
75 Iera Odos, 11855-Athens, Greece
E-mail: achem@aua.gr

Ivan Marc
Laboratoire des Sciences du Génie Chimique
C.N.R.S. - E.N.S.I.C./E.N.S.A.I.A
U.P.R. 6811, 13, rue du Bois de la Champelle
54500 - Vandœuvre-Lès-Nancy, France
E-mail: Ivan.Marc@ensic.inpl-nancy.fr

George Aggelis
Department of Biology
Division of Genetics, Cell and Development Biology
University of Patras
26500-Patras, Greece
E-mail: George.Aggelis@upatras.gr

*Corresponding author

Financial support: The present work was partially financed by the international cooperation project in industrial research activities of development in pre-competitive stage- 2005 (ΟΔΣΒΕΠΡΟ-69) entitled “Exploitation of the natural microflora of the olive fruit for the production of virgin oil of high quality” (General Secretariat of Research and Development of the Greek Ministry of Development - E.U.).

Keywords: lipase, microbial lipids, single-cell protein, tallow, Yarrowia lipolytica.

Abbreviations: α (IU/mg) and KD [ml/(mg×h)]: parameters that correlate Lip production or hydrolysis rate to microbial growth.
D.O.: dissolved oxygen
L: total lipid (mg/ml)
Lip: extra-cellular lipase (IU/ml)
S: stearin (substrate fat) (mg/ml)
X: total biomass (mg/ml)
YX/S: biomass yield on substrate fat (g formed per g of fat consumed)
µ: specific growth rate, (h-1)
Abstract
Full Text

The aim of the present study was to assess the potential of valorisation of a solid industrial derivative of tallow, composed of saturated free-fatty acids (“stearin”), by fermentations carried out by the yeast Yarrowia lipolytica ACA-DC 50109 in order to produce microbial lipid, biomass and extra-cellular lipase. High quantities of biomass were produced (biomass yield of around 1.1 ± 0.1 g of total biomass produced per g of fat consumed) when the organism was grown in shake flasks, regardless of the concentration of extra-cellular nitrogen present. Cellular lipids accumulated in notable quantities regardless of the nitrogen availability of the medium, though this process was clearly favoured at high initial fat and low initial nitrogen concentrations. The maximum quantity of fat produced was 7.9 mg/ml corresponding to 52.0% (wt/wt) of lipid in the dry biomass. Lipase production was critically affected by the medium composition and its concentration clearly increased with increasing concentrations of fat and extra-cellular nitrogen concentration reaching a maximum level of 2.50 IU/ml. Lipase concentration decreased in the stationary growth phase. In bioreactor trials, in which higher agitation and aeration conditions were employed compared with the equivalent trial in the flasks, significantly higher quantities of biomass were produced (maximum concentration 30.5 mg/ml, yield of 1.6 g of total biomass produced per g of fat consumed) while remarkably lower quantities of cellular lipids and extra-cellular lipase were synthesised. Numerical models successfully simulated both conversion of substrate fat into biomass and production and subsequent hydrolysis of extra-cellular lipase and presented a satisfactory predictive ability verifying the potential for single-cell protein and lipase production by Yarrowia lipolytica ACA-DC 50109. In all cultures, the mycelial form of the culture was dominant with few single cells present.

Supported by UNESCO / MIRCEN network