Variability of the lipolytic activity in Yarrowia lipolytica strains in pork fat

This work studied the variability in lipolytic activity in 35 strains of Yarrowia lipolytica inoculated in pork fat after 7 and 21 days of storage at 15 °C. The strains were able to generate three different hydrolysis profiles. In particular, the strains PO10, PO14, RO1, RO5, Y15, Y16A, Y20, B5, 7B, 7B3, 16B and 21C caused an increase with time in concentrations of C16:0, C18:0, C18:1, C18:1(Δ11) and C18:2 which were the predominant free fatty acids (FFAs). On the contrary, the strains PO1, PO19, PO23, RO22, Y12, B4, B74, GB, 5B, 5D, 27D and W29 showed an opposite trend, while the remaining ones induced no change. Because the released FFAs can be considered precursors for flavour development, the results suggest the potential use of some Y. lipolytica strains in sausage making to improve the overall aroma.