Evaluation of the effect of olive, sesame and sunflower pulp for fatty acids production in semi-open culture Yarrowia lipolytica

Among the sources of oils (vegetable, animal, microorganism), microbial oil has attracted the attention of many researchers. Oily microorganisms are able to accumulate 20 to 80% of lipids in each dry biomass. Among various microorganisms (bacterias, microalgae, fungal species including yeasts), some yeasts are considered to be the superior source of oil production. Yarrowia lipolytica</em> is an excellent example of oily microorganisms with high fat production efficiency. By using cheap, native and available pulp as a production medium, the cost of oil produced by yeasts can be reduced. The microbial oil produced is used for medicinal, food and cosmetic purposes. In this study, the pleomorphism of Yarrowia lipolytica</em> (ATCC 18942) was examined microscopically in different culture media. After culturing the  yeast in media containing olive, sesame and sunflower pulp, in semi-open culture conditions, the fatty acids produced were analyzed using GC-MS and FTIR techniques. After reviewing the results, the medium containing olive pulp was selected and the microbial lipid produced in this medium was extracted. Then dry weight of biomass and microbial fat were measured. The results showed that the fatty acids extracted from the medium containing olive oli cake included oleic acid, palmitic acid, linoleic acid and stearic acid, which had the best production of fatty acids among the pulp. The content of  microbial fat and dry weight were 4.07 and 7.83 g/l, respectively, and microbial fat production efficiency was 51.97%.