Carotenoids as an indicator of mechanical stress in the production of microbial oil by Rhodotorula toruloides on a rotary table using shear promoters in Erlenmeyer flasks

• Grant number: 20/06721-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: February 01, 2021
• End date: May 04, 2022
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Chemical Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Marcel Otavio Cerri
• Grantee: Fabiana Vanessa da Costa
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas (FCFAR). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Araraquara. Araraquara , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 16/10636-8 - From the cell factory to the Biodiesel-Bioethanol integrated biorefinery: a systems approach applied to complex problems in micro and macroscales, AP.BIOEN.TEM

Abstract

Rhodotorula toruloides is an oleaginous yeast capable of accumulating high lipids (microbial oil, OM), which can be used in the production of biodiesel. However, for the production of lipids from this microorganism to be economically viable, a student of Yeast must be improved and the production of OM must be concomitant with the production of a high-value product, such as carotenoids, since it is produced in lipids totals is low and the total cost of production is high. It is known that oxygen transport and shear taxes are important in the development of aerobic bioprocesses. However, there are few studies that relate OM to shear and oxygen rates with variations in shear and oxygen rates, since the parameters are difficult to quantify and use. As carotenoids are antioxidant pigments, an application of stress factors with oxidizing potential such as cells increases the production of carotenoids as protection against possible damage. Since carotenoids are easily, quantitatively and qualitatively measured, the present work assesses the production of carotenoids as indicative of mechanical stress, adding shear-promoting deflectors in Elernmeyer flasks in the production of microbial oil by R. toruloides on a rotating incubator table.