Enhancing Red Yeast Biomass Yield and Lipid Biosynthesis by Using Waste Nitrogen Source by Glucose Fed-Batch at Low Temperature

This work reports the effect of simple feeding strategies and temperature to obtain high-cell-density cultures of Rhodotorula glutinis var. rubescens LOCKR13 maximizing the de novo lipid productivity using deproteinated potato wastewater (DPW) as a basic medium. Feeding DPW with glucose enables a high yield of Rhodotorula glutinis var. rubescens LOCKR13 biomass (52 g (d.w.) L(−1)) to be obtained. The highest values of lipid accumulation (34.15%, w/w), production (14.68 g L(−1)) and yield coefficients (Y(L/S): 0.242 g g(−1)), and volumetric productivity (P(L): 0.1 g L(−1) h(−1)) were reached by the strain in the two-stage fed-batch process at 20 °C. The lipid of yeast biomass was rich in oleic acid ((Δ9)C18:1) and palmitic acid (C16:0), and the lower temperature of incubation significantly increased the MUFA (especially oleic acid) content. For the first time, a unique set of thermal analyses of the microbial oil was performed. The isotherms of the oxidation kinetics (PDSC) showed that lipids extracted from the biomass of red yeast had high oxidative stability. This feature of the yeast oil can be useful for long-shelf-life food products and can be promising for the production of biodiesel.