Effects of various carbon and nitrogen sources on fungal lipid production

The efficiency of lipid production byTolyposporium ehrenbergii andSpacelotheca reiliana (family Ustilaginaceae) cultivated on a fat-free medium was evaluated. The fungi were artificially cultured on media containing various monoor disaccharides and urea or peptone as basic sources for carbon and nitrogen, respectively. Some natural and industrial byproducts (glycerol, glucose syrup, potato hydrolysate and molasses hydrolysate) were also used as principal carbon sources for fungal growth. Media containing fructose/peptone or glucose/peptone were the most efficient for fungal fat production during one week of incubation. After a two-week incubation period, highest phospholipid concentrations were found in S.reiliana andT. ehrenbergii mycelia obtained from media containing molasses hydrolysate/peptone and glycerol/urea, respectively. Fatty acid analysis of the fungal growth indicated the presence of a wide range of fatty acids, i.e., odd-and even-carbon numbered acids, both saturated and unsaturated. The results demon-strated that the variability in the fatty acid composition largely depends on the type of sugar and nitrogen sources and the age of the culture.