Microbial lipids fatty acid composition

Table 5.11 Lipid content and fatty acid composition of microbial single-cell oils and selected plant oils.

Choi, S.Y., Ryu, D.D.Y., Rhee, J.S., 1982. Production of microbial lipid effects of growth rate and oxygen on lipid synthesis and fatty acid composition of Rhodotorula gracilis. Biotechnology and Bioengineering 24, 1165—1172. 

The example of a total extract composition of a tropical soil from the Amazon, Brazil, shows mycose as the major compound, numerous other monosaccharides, lipid components such as fatty acids and fatty alcohols, and natural product biomarkers (Fig. 9a). The mycose and elevated levels of the other saccharides reflect the efficient fungal/microbial degradation of plant detritus in the tropics. This can be compared to the saccharides in the soil from an almond orchard in California, where glucose and mycose are the main sugars with lipids, sterols and triterpenoids (Fig. 9b, ). 

Coconut oil composition consists of 90% saturated fatty acids, 7.5% monounsaturated fatty acids and 1.8% polyimsaturated fatty acids (Zambiazi, et al., 2007) and it is as it follows 1% caproic acid (C6 0), 2% caprylic acid (C8 0), 4% capric acid (C10 0), 50% lauric acid (C12 0), 18% myristic acid (C14 0), 9% palmitic acid (C16 0), 8% oleic acid (C18 l), 5% stearic acid (C18 0) and 2% linoleic acid (C18 2) (Paiwan et al., 2013). The stmctured lipids (24%), which usually are difficult to find in nature are obtained by cmde oil biotransformation but another possibility to obtain them is by bioconversions in controlled conditions, in order to develop specific target compounds with biological activities that have different effects on microbial cells (Nugrahini et al., 2015). 

Biosurfactants are classified based on their chemical composition and microbial origin. The chemical structure of biosurfactants contains hydrophilic and hydrophobic groups. Amino acids, peptides and polysaccharides can be present as hydrophilic moieties and saturated or unsaturated fatty acids can be present as hydrophobic moieties in the structure. Structure based classification has following major classes of biosurfactants (Guerra-Santos et al., 1987 Kooper and Goldenberg, 1987) (i) Glycolipids (Rhamnolipids, Trehalolipids and Sophorolipids) (ii) Lipopeptide and lipoprotein (iii) Fatty acids, phospholipids and neutral lipids (iv) Pol5mieric biosurfactants, and (v) Particulate biosurfactants. 

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