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This study assesses the potential for the lipid production by the oleaginous yeast Cystobasidium oligophagum JRC1 using dairy industry waste cheese whey as a substrate. Cheese whey was used either untreated (UCW) or deproteinized (DCW) at different concentrations (25-100%) to serve as the carbon and energy source. Both UCW and DCW supported high biomass and lipid productivities. The biomass productivity of 0.076 ± 0.0004 and 0.124 ± 0.0021 g/L h, lipid productivity of 0.0335 ± 0.0004 and 0.0272 ± 0.0008 g/L h, and the lipid content of 44.12 ± 0.84 and 21.79 ± 1.00% were achieved for 100% DCW and UCW, respectively. The soluble chemical oxygen demand (sCOD) removal rate was 8.049 ± 0.198 and 10.61 ± 0.0165 g/L day (84.91 ± 0.155 and 86.82 ± 0.067% removal) for 100% DCW and UCW, respectively. Fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) composition obtained using GC-FID studies revealed the presence of C16 and C18 fatty acid in the lipid extract and the biodiesel properties were found to be in accordance with ASTM and EN standards. The study presents a method for the valorization of cheese whey waste into a feasible feedstock for biodiesel.

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The marine microorganisms thraustochytrids have been explored for their potential in the production of various bioactive compounds, such as DHA, carotenoids, and squalene. Squalene is a secondary metabolite of the triterpenoid class and is known for its importance in various industrial applications. The bioinformatic analysis for squalene synthase (SQS) gene (the first key enzyme in the tri-terpenoid synthesis pathway), that is prevailing among thraustochytrids, is poorly investigated. In-silico studies combining sequence alignments and bioinformatic tools helped in the preliminary characterization of squalene synthases found in Aurantiochytrium limacinum. The sequence contained highly conserved regions for SQS found among different species indicated the enzyme had all the regions for its functionality. The signal peptide sequence and transmembrane regions were absent, indicating an important aspect of the subcellular localization. Secondary and 3-D models generated using appropriate templates demonstrated the similarities with SQS of the other species. The 3-D model also provided important insights into possible active, binding, phosphorylation, and glycosylation sites.

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