Sporobolomyces odorus

Candida strains convert ricinoleic acid into If-decalactone, which displays the fatty, fruity aroma typical of peaches. Ricinoleic acid (12-hydroxy octadec-9-enoic acid) is the major fatty acid in castor oil (approx. 80 %). The yeast can lipolyze castor oil glycerides and the liberated ricinoleic acid is subsequently metabolized via d-oxidation and eventually converted to 4-hydroxy-decanoic acid (Figure 5). Recently a European patent has been filed (20) essentially covering the same procedure. Shake culture fermentations were carried out on 100 ml scale for one week. The 4-hydroxydecanoic acid formed was converted to )f-decalactone by boiling the crude, acidified (pH 1.5) fermentation broth for a period of 10 minutes. The lactone was isolated via solvent extraction and a yield of some 5 g/1 was obtained. The same lactone was detected as the major volatile component formed when the yeast, Sporobolomyces odorus was grown in standard culture medium (21). Although the culture medium displayed an intense fruity, typical peach-like odor, the concentration of y-decalactone amounted to no more than 0.5 mg/1. 

In another paper by Albrecht et aL, [48] the biosynthetic pathway involved in the production of aliphatic lactones was studied. In particular, the study was focused on the mechanism of the biotransformation of Sy and (7 yS)-13-hydroxy-(Z,A)-9,ll-octadecadienoic acid into the optically pure (/ )- -decalactone by the yeast Sporobolomyces odorus. For this purpose, deuterium-containing derivatives of coriolic acid needed to be synthesized. Figure 10 shows the synthetic approach chosen by the authors to produce 13-HSA-13-J and 13-HSA-9,10,11,12- 4 starting from linoleic acid. 

Tahara, S., K. Fujiwara, and J. Mizutani Neutral Constituents of Volatiles in Cultured Broth of Sporobolomyces odorus. Agric. Biol. Chem. 37, 2855 (1973). 

The biosynthesis of lactones was studied using the yeast Sporobolomyces odorus and it was shown that the results are valid for animal and plant foods. Labelling with deuterium indicates... 

Lee S-L, Lin S-J, Chou C-C (1995) Growth of and production of y-decalactone by Sporobolomyces odorus in jar fermentors as affected by pH, aeration and fed-batch technique. J Ferment Bioeng 80(2) 195-199. doi 10.1016/0922-338x(95)93219-a Lee S-L, Cheng H-Y, Chen W-C, Chou C-C (1998) Production of y-decalactone from ricinoleic acid by immobilized cells of Sporidiobolus salmonicolor. Process Biochem 33(4) 453-459. doi 10.1016/s0032-9592(98)00013-2... 

Lin S-J, Lee S-L, Chou C-C (1996) Effects of various fatty acid components of castor oil on the growth and production of y-decalactone by Sporobolomyces odorus. J Ferment Bioeng 82... 

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