Lignocellulosic Sugars as Co-substrates for Single Cell Oil and γ-Linolenic Acid Production by Thamnidium elegans

摘要

Thamnidium elegans CCF-1465 was tested for its ability to produce lipid containing y-linolenic acid (GLA), during its cultivation on mixtures of glucose and xylose, abundant sugars of lignocellulosic biomass. Experiments were conducted in both shake-flask and bioreactor trials, while in any case, nitrogen limited media were employed in order to direct the microbial metabolism towards the synthesis of intra-cellular lipid. All cultures were performed at media presenting initial total sugar concentration of 100 g/L. Analysis of intra-cellular lipid showed that the highest GLA content was observed in early stationary growth phase. Additionally, the composition of fatty acids of the neutral fraction resembled with that of total lipids, while the phospholipids, in most cases, were the most unsaturated fraction compared to the other lipid fractions of T. elegans.