Substrate specificities in triacylglycerol-secretion by the yeast, Trichosporon sp

Research and development on the microbial production of useful biolipids have been progressed with deep interest in a stable supply of the valuable oils by fermentation processes. Until now, the production of eicosapentaenoic acid (Shimizu et al., 1988), gamma -linolenic acid (Hansson and Dostalek, 1988), and docosahexaenoic acid (Li and Ward, 1994), using various oleaginous fungi, has been reported. However, like other oleaginous plants or animals, processes for cell disruption and oil extraction were still essential to recover the products because they were entirely accumulated in the cell. We have challenged development of the excretive production of triacylglycerols (TGs) by microorganisms, such as yeasts and fungi, for realization of low-cost lipid fermentation.