Single cell oils

By
Isha Praveen
Ashmita Anand
Jithendrakumar
What are single celled oils ?
● Single cell oils or lipids are produced by oleaginous microorganisms
such as algae bacteria and yeast.
● Although all microorganisms are able to produce lipids only some
organisms can produce enough lipids to be of commercial importance.
● Those organisms which are able to amass lipid weight of more than 20
% of their dry cell weight are known as oleaginous microorganisms .
● Some examples of such microorganisms are :
● ALGAE: Microbacteria (waste/sewage/bioremediation)
● BACTERIA :Mycobacterium ,Corneybacterium
Rhodococcus
● FUNGI :Yeast
CONDITIONS FOR PRODUCTION OF FATTY ACID IN SINGLE CELLED
MICROORGANISMS
● Oleaginous microorganisms depend on a continuous supply of acetyl
coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate
(NADPH) for the production of fatty acids through a reversed β-oxidation under
nitrogen-limiting conditions
● It occurs after cells have depleted some critical nutrient from the culture
medium, usually nitrogen (N), while carbon (C) remains available.
● Therefore all SCO fermentations must include a period of active growth in
nutrient replete conditions (to generate biomass) followed by a period of
restricted growth in the presence of a Carbon source,where one (at least)
nutrient (usually N) is depleted during which TAG is produced
LIPID SYNTHESIS :
TAG : Triacylglycerol lipids
● These are synthesized by microorganisms via fermentation and are used
for fermentation,
● Triacylglycerols are formed by linking fatty acids with an ester linkage to three
alcohol groups in glycerol.
● Triacylglycerols are sometimes referred to as triglycerides.
NOMENCLATURE OF FATTY ACIDS
THERE ARE THREE WAYS OF NAMING
The nomenclature of lipids falls into two main categories: systematic names common
trivial names.
COMMERCIAL PRODUCTION OF SCOs
Microbial oils rich in two fatty acids are usually preferred.
Arachidonic acid [ ARA, 20:4 (n-6)] and Docosahexaenoic acid [ DHA, 22:6 (n-3)].
Plants do not synthesise VLC PUFAs. Animal sources do contain them, but also
always contains Eicosapentaenoic acid (impair neonate growth).
Microbes accumulate impressive amounts of cell lipids.
The risk of rancidity and off flavour of the final product is dodged by processing oils
rapidly, storing biomass and oil at low temperature and under N2, limiting heat
during processing and rapid heating (Pasteurisation) during harvest of microbial
biomass.
OPTIMAL CONDITIONS FOR SCO PRODUCTION
Temperature :- 30 °C

pH :- 7

Carbon source conc :- 3g/100mL

Inoculum volume :- 3mL/100mL

Inoculum density :- 20x10^7 cells

Incubation period :- 72 hours

Feedstock
Carbon Microbes
sources

Microbial fermentation

Broth harvesting
(centrifugation)

Dried to pellets and

extracted using Hexane

Refining, bleaching,
deodourising.
Strain cultivation
C,N are supplied.
Once high cell Culture broth
density is achieved, harvesting Extraction
N is discontinued.
When sufficient Dry biomass is Oil processing
Under low N
conditions, the amount of lipids are pelleted and lipid
Refining, bleaching
fungus assimilates synthesised, the is extracted using
and deodorizing.
C, converting it to culture broth is hexane. The
storage lipids. harvested via extracted lipid is
continuous steam stripped to
centrifuge or a filter remove hexane’.
press, and is then
dried.
ARA rich SCOs
Microbe :- Mortierella alpina (fungi)
Strain is obtained through classical selection
methods (All current SCOs are non GMO).
Resulting oil is yellow in colour.
It has characteristic, but not unpleasant, taste
and odour.
Resilient to oxidation, due to the presence of
endogenous antioxidants and additional
antioxidants (Vitamin E).
DHA rich SCOs
Microbe :- Crypthecodinium cohnii
Schizochytrium
C.cohnii - neonetal nutritional supplement
These microbes require saline culture
medium.But low chloride media and adapted
strains have been developed.
Resulting oil is orange in colour.
It too has a distinctive flavour. It certainly lacks
the undesirable fishy taste of fish oils.
ADVANTAGES OF SINGLE CELL OIL:
1) the SCO oil of Javanicus, contained 18--20%GLA the active ingredient in evening
primrose oil, which hasbeen highly valued.

2)microbial lipids contains high levels of DHA

3)Certain animal or fish oils also contain

very long chain PUFA but, in these cases, the fatty acids are at lowlevels <10% of
total fatty acids

4)Not effected by geographical orenvironmental factors

DISADVANTAGES:
1)most oleaginousmicroorganisms to accumulate approx. 50% of their dry weight as

lipid.

2)fermentations generally cannot generate >200gdry mass per litre of culture

3)the initial failure of microbial sources of oils

to compete with oils from traditional sources (plant and animal/fish)was their cost
and difficulty of production.