Oleaginous yeasts isolated from traditional fermented foods and beverages of Manipur and Mizoram, India, as a potent source of microbial lipids for biodiesel production

Abstract Purpose Oleaginous yeasts can accumulate intracellular lipid bodies or triacylglycerides (TAGs) under nutrient limiting conditions. TAGs derived from those yeast strains are considered as an alternative to conventional plant-based oils for biodiesel production. In this study, we attempt to isolate and characterize yeast strains from selected traditional fermented foods of Manipur and Mizoram, India, and study their oleaginous attributes for biodiesel production. Method Fourteen potential oleaginous yeasts were isolated from fermented food samples of Manipur and Mizoram, India. The isolates were identified by 5.8S internal transcribed spacer (ITS) rRNA gene sequencing. Intracellular TAG accumulation by yeast cells were confirmed by Nile red fluorescence microscopy and spectrometry technique. The most promising isolates were evaluated for lipid accumulation having different initial carbon to nitrogen (C/N) ratios and also the full kinetic studies (depicting the glucose consumption, biomass, and lipid production) using optimum C/N ratio were estimated. Fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) profile of the transesterified lipids were analyzed by GC-MS. Results The identified yeast isolates belonged to seven different genera viz. Rhodotorula, Pichia, Candida, Saturnispora, Wickerhamomyces, Zygoascus, and Saccharomyces. Under nitrogen-limiting conditions, maximum biomass concentration of 5.66 ± 0.03 g/L and 4.713 ± 0.03 g/L was produced by Wickerhamomyces anomalus FK09 and Pichia kudriavzevii FK02, respectively. The highest lipid concentration (g lipid/L fermentation broth) of 0.58 g/L was attained by Rhodotorula mucilaginosa R2, followed by Wickerhamomyces anomalus FK09 (0.51 g/L), and Zygoascus hellenicus FC10 (0.41 g/L). Rhodotorula mucilaginosa R2 exhibited the maximum lipid content (% lipid/g dry cell weight) of (21.63 ± 0.1%) after 96 h of growth. The C/N ratio of 40 and 20 was found to be optimum for R. mucilaginosa R2 and W. anomalus FK09 with a lipid content of 22.21 ± 0.4% and 12.83 ± 0.08% respectively. Conclusion Newly isolated yeast strains were obtained from traditional fermented food samples of Manipur and Mizoram, India. FAME analysis of the transesterified lipid extracts suggested the potential use of yeast-derived oil as an alternative to vegetable oil for biodiesel production.