Microbial lipid extraction from Lipomyces starkeyi using irreversible electroporation.

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Chemical Engineering
• Microbiology

Background:

• Microbial lipid extraction often requires energy-intensive or solvent-heavy methods.
• Developing efficient and sustainable cell disruption techniques is crucial for biomass processing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate irreversible electroporation (EP) as a rapid and eco-friendly method for microbial cell disruption.
• To optimize EP parameters for enhanced intracellular lipid extraction from yeast.

Main Methods:

• Designed and fabricated an EP circuit delivering high-voltage square waves.
• Treated Lipomyces starkeyi yeast cells with EP at varying durations and electrode distances.
• Assessed cell viability using colony-forming units (CFU) and visualized cell disruption via FESEM.
• Quantified extracted lipid content and compared EP efficiency with ultrasonic and Fenton's reagent methods.

Main Results:

• EP achieved up to 95% cell inactivation at optimal conditions (2 cm electrode distance).
• Maximum lipid yield of 63 mg g⁻¹ was obtained after 10 minutes of EP treatment.
• EP extracted 31.88% lipid, significantly higher than ultrasonic (11.89%) and Fenton's reagent (16.8%).

Conclusions:

• Irreversible electroporation is a highly effective and rapid technique for microbial cell disruption.
• EP offers a promising, eco-friendly alternative for intracellular lipid extraction, reducing time and solvent use.
• This method has significant potential for industrial applications in biomass processing and biofuel production.