From low-cost substrates to Single Cell Oils synthesized by oleaginous yeasts

As new feedstock for biofuels, microbial oils have received worldwide attentions due to their environmentally-friendly characters. Microbial oil production based on low-cost raw materials is significantly attractive to the current biodiesel refinery industry. In terms of SCOs production, oleaginous yeast has numerous advantages over bacteria, molds and microalgae based on their high growth rate and lipid yield. Numerous efforts have been made on the competitive lipid production combining the use of cheap raw materials as substrates by yeasts. In this paper, we provided an overview of lipid metabolism in yeast cells. New advances using oleaginous yeast as a cell factory for high-value lipid production from various low-cost substrates are also reviewed, and the enhanced strategies based on synergistic effects of oleaginous yeast and microalgae in co-culture are discussed in details.