Harnessing Indigenous Plant Seed Oil for the Production of Bio-fuel by an Oleaginous Fungus, Cunninghamella blakesleeana- JSK2, Isolated from Tropical Soil

Abstract

Cunninghamella blakesleeana-JSK2, a gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) producing tropical fungal isolate, was utilized as a tool to evaluate the influence of various plant seed oils on biomass, oleagenicity and bio-fuel production. The fungus accumulated 26 % total lipid of their dry biomass (2 g/l) and 13 % of GLA in its total fatty acid. Among the various plant seed oils tested as carbon sources for biotransformation studies, watermelon oil had an effect on biomass and total lipid increasing up to 9.24 g/l and 34 % respectively. Sunflower, pumpkin, and onion oil increased GLA content between 15-18 %. Interestingly, an indigenous biodiesel commodity, Pongamia pinnata oil showed tremendous effect on fatty acid profile in C. blakesleeana-JSK2, when used as a sole source of carbon. There was complete inhibition of GLA from 13 to 0 % and increase in oleic acid content, one of the key components of biodiesel to 70 % (from 20 % in control). Our results suggest the potential application of indigenous plant seed oils, particularly P. pinnata oil, for the production of economically valuable bio-fuel in oleaginous fungi in general, and C. blakesleeana-JSK2, in particular.

The influence of phosphorus source and the nature of nitrogen substrate on the biomass production and lipid accumulation in oleaginous Mucoromycota fungi

“…Our study showed that several Mucoromycota fungi have relatively low biomass production under lipogenesis conditions. Thus, the results of low biomass for Rhizopus (oryzae) and CBL were in accordance with the previously performed study by Janakiraman ( 2014 ). Furthermore, the biomass and lipid production of RST were quite low, approx.…”