Exploring the production of citric acid with Yarrowia lipolytica using corn wet milling products as alternative low-cost culture media

E. CAVALLO; M. NÓBILE; P. CERRUTTI; M. L. FORESTI

BIOCHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL

ELSEVIER SCIENCE SA

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2020 vol. 155 p. 107463 - 107471

1369-703X

The unconventional yeast Yarrowia lipolytica is known for its capability to synthesize different metabolites ofindustrial interest such as citric acid (CA). The numerous applications of CA trigger continuous research onimproved production systems and substrates costs reduction. In this context, the present contribution exploredthe production of CA using chosen strains of Y. lipolytica in fermentation media formulated with low-cost andnon-seasonal nutrient sources derived from the corn wet milling process, such as food grade corn syrups and cornsteep liquor (CSL). Besides nutrient sources assay, the effect of carbon source concentration and C/N ratio wasevaluated. In media formulated with high fructose syrup and CSL proper manipulation of the mentioned variablesallowed attaining CA productions of up to 38 g/L in flasks culture. Moreover, the bioreactor scale-upallowed a 130%-increase in productivity and drastic fermentation time reduction. Overall, the combination ofthese low-cost nutrient sources of predictable composition derived from the corn processing industry that may bestored at room temperature seems attractive for CA production. The simplicity of the fermentation mediumfurther makes it promising for higher-than-laboratory scale production of CA.