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Updated: Oct 3, 2025
Experimental Protocol for Biodiesel Production with Isolation of Alkenones as Coproducts from Commercial Isochrysis Algal Biomass
Published on: June 24, 2016
Isolation, molecular identification of lipid-producing Rhodotorula diobovata: optimization of lipid accumulation for
Mohamed E Osman1, Asharf Bakery Abdel-Razik2, Khaled I Zaki3
1Botany and Microbiology Department, Faculty of Science, Helwan University, Helwan, Egypt.
Background:
The increased demand for oil and fats to satisfy the ever-increasing human needs has enhanced the research in this field. Single-cell oils or microbial lipids produced by oleaginous microorganisms are being utilized as an alternative to traditional oil sources. Oleaginous yeasts can accumulate lipids above 20% of their biomass when they are grown under controlled conditions.
Results:
In the present study, sixty-five yeasts were isolated from different sources. Using Sudan Black B staining technique, five yeast isolates were selected. Under nitrogen-limited cultivation conditions, the Co1 isolate was the best lipid accumulation potential of 39.79%. Isolate (Co1) was characterized morphologically and identified using the ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacers regions (rDNA-ITS) from their genomic DNA. The sequence alignment revealed a 99.2% similarity with Rhodotorula diobovata. Under the optimized conditions, Rhodotorula diobovata accumulated lipids up to 45.85% on a dry biomass basis. R. diobovata, when grown on different raw materials, accumulated lipid up to 46.68% on sugar beet molasses medium, and the lipid had a high degree of monounsaturated fatty acids which gives biodiesel better quality.
Conclusions:
The data suggest that the potent oleaginous yeast, R. diobovata, together with the use of cheap feedstock raw materials such as sugar beet molasses, can be considered as a promising feedstock for biodiesel production.
