Valorization of volatile fatty acids derived from low-cost organic waste for lipogenesis in oleaginous microorganisms-A review

• Published in: Bioresource technology Vol. 321; p. 124457
• Main Authors: Patel, Alok, Sarkar, Omprakash, Rova, Ulrika, Christakopoulos, Paul, Matsakas, Leonidas
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.02.2021
• Subjects: Anaerobic fermentation; Biochemical Process Engineering; Biofuels; Biokemisk processteknik; Fatty Acids; Fatty Acids, Volatile; Fermentation; Lipid accumulation; Lipogenesis; microbial anaerobic fermentation; Oleaginous microorganisms; Omega-3 fatty acids; Volatile fatty acids; Anaerobic fermentation; Lipid accumulation; Oleaginous microorganisms; Volatile fatty acids; Omega-3 fatty acids
• ISSN: 0960-8524; 1873-2976; 1873-2976
• DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2020.124457

•Influencing factors for acidogenic volatile fatty acid production are reviewed.•VFAs are renewable feedstock for the synthesis of bio-based products.•Oleaginous microorganisms can utilize VFAs for their growth and lipid synthesis.•Oleaginous microalage are suitable to cosume VFAs in heterotrophic cultivation mode.•Thraustochytrids are promising to synthesize omega-3 fatty acids cultivated on VFAs. To meet environmental sustainability goals, microbial oils have been suggested as an alternative to petroleum-based products. At present, microbial fermentation for oil production relies on pure sugar-based feedstocks. However, these feedstocks are expensive and are in limited supply. Volatile fatty acids, which are generated as intermediates during anaerobic digestion of organic waste have emerged as a renewable feedstock that has the potential to replace conventional sugar sources for microbial oil production. They comprise short-chain (C2 to C6) organic acids and are employed as building blocks in the chemical industry. The present review discusses the use of oleaginous microorganisms for the production of biofuels and added-value products starting from volatile fatty acids as feedstocks. The review describes the metabolic pathways enabling lipogenesis from volatile fatty acids, and focuses on strategies to enhance lipid accumulation in oleaginous microorganisms by tuning the ratios of volatile fatty acids generated via anaerobic fermentation.