Whole conversion of agro-industrial wastes rich in galactose-based carbohydrates into lipid using oleaginous yeast Aureobasidium namibiae

BACKGROUND: Raw materials composed of easily assimilated monosaccharides have been employed as carbon source for production of microbial lipids. Nevertheless, agro-industrial wastes rich in galactose-based carbohydrates have not been introduced as feedstocks for oleaginous yeasts. RESULTS: In this study, Aureobasidium namibiae A12 was found to efficiently accumulate lipid from soy molasses and whey powder containing galactose-based carbohydrates, with lipid productions of 5.30 g/L and 5.23 g/L, respectively. Over 80% of the fatty acids was C(16:0), C(18:0), C(18:1), and C(18:2). All kinds of single sugar components in the two byproducts were readily converted into lipids, with yields ranging between 0.116 g/g and 0.138 g/g. Three α-galactosidases and five β-galactosidases in the strain were cloned and analyzed. Changes of transcriptional levels indicated GalB and GalC were key α-galactosidases, and GalG was key β-galactosidase. In 10 L fermentor, lipid production from SM and WP achieved 6.45 g/L and 6.13 g/L, respectively. β-galactosidase was responsible for lactose hydrolysis; sucrase and α-galactosidase both contributed to the efficient hydrolysis of raffinose and stachyose in a cooperation manner. CONCLUSIONS: This is a new way to produce lipids from raw materials containing galactose-based carbohydrates. This finding revealed the significance of sucrase in the direct hydrolysis of galactose-based carbohydrates in raw materials for the first time and facilitated the understanding of the efficient utilization of galactose-based carbohydrates to manufacture lipid or other chemicals in bioprocess. GRAPHIC ABSTRACT: [Image: see text] SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13068-021-02031-8.