Biomass and lipid production by Rhodococcus opacus PD630 in molasses-based media with and without osmotic-stress

Rhodococcus opacus PD630 was used to produce biomass and lipids in molasses-based media with and without osmotic stress. In a 7-day aerobic batch culture at 30 °C, the biomass and lipid concentrations were maximized using an initial molasses concentration of 80 g/L and ammonium acetate (nitrogen source) concentration of 2.14 g/L. At a fixed initial molasses concentration of 80 g/L, the concentration of the nitrogen source was further fine-tuned to 2.25 g/L, to maximize the lipid content of the biomass to around 30% by dry mass. This medium was used to test the effects of stressing salts (sodium acetate, magnesium sulfate, sodium chloride) on production of lipids and biomass. A two-step bolus feeding with magnesium sulfate and sodium acetate, enhanced the final biomass concentration to around 19 g/L (a 50% increase relative to control), but the lipid content in the biomass was reduced to around 16% w/w. A 33% enhancement in lipid concentration relative to control, was achieved by feeding magnesium sulfate and sodium acetate. Sugarcane molasses could be effectively used to produce biomass and lipids instead of using the much more expensive pure carbon sources such as glucose and sucrose.