Sophorolipid production by on oils with a special fatty acid composition and their consequences on cell viability

I. N. A. Bogaert (1) , S. Roelants (1) , D. Develter (2) , W. Soetaert (1)

1 Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology and Biocatalysis, Department of Biochemical and Microbial Technology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering
2 Ecover Belgium NV

Sophorolipids production by the yeast is most favourable when glucose is used as a carbon source in combination with a hydrophobic carbon source such as a common vegetable oil. Most vegetable oils are comprised of C16-C18 fatty acids, an ideal range for sophorolipid production. The use of oils with either shorter or longer fatty acids, such has coconut oil or meadowfoam oil, respectively, was evaluated. Such oils did not contribute to enhanced sophorolipid production when compared to cultures run on glucose as the sole carbon source. Moreover, a toxic effect of medium-chain fatty acids towards stationary cells was demonstrated.

Mots clés: Coconut oil; Meadowfoam oil; Medium-chain fatty acids; Toxicity of free fatty acids; Sophorolipids

I. N. A. Bogaert, S. Roelants, D. Develter, W. Soetaert. Sophorolipid production by on oils with a special fatty acid composition and their consequences on cell viability. Biotechnology Letters, 2010, 32 (10), pp.1509-1514. ⟨10.1007/s10529-010-0323-8⟩. ⟨hal-00606294⟩