Abstract

This study was undertaken to investigate the influence of carbon source on lipid production by oleaginous yeast cultures viz., Rhodotorula glutinis, Rhodosporidium toruloides and Lipomyces starkeyi. Among the carbon sources evaluated glucose exhibited higher biomass and lipid content. Among the yeast cultures, Rhodotorula glutinis exhibited higher lipid 2.43 g l-1 (23.78 per cent) and biomass 10.21 g l-1 in glucose, followed by Rhodosporidium toruloides with 2.29 g l-1 (22.54 per cent) and 10.15 gl-1 and Lipomyces starkeyi with 2.23 g l-1 (22.20 per cent) and 10.12 g l-1 of lipid and biomass respectively in glucose broth. Least amount of lipids was produced in sucrose containing broth. This study reveals the faster utilization of glucose for biomass production, which leads to the accumulation of lipids.

Keywords: Lipids, Biomass, Oleaginous yeast, Rhodotorula glutinis, Carbon source