ENGINEERING A YEAST BIOREFINERY UTILIZING RENEWABLE OIL FEEDSTOCK FROM AGRICULTURAL WASTES FOR HIGH-VALUE OLEOCHEMICAL PRODUCTION

The major goal is to convert lipids and fats from food/agricultural production to high-value products, using next-generation microbial biorefineries. To utilize these largely overlooked and underutilized feedstocks, this project will fill critical knowledge gaps in lipid assimilation by the industrially important oleaginous yeast, Yarrowia lipolytica, and from which, to develop superior strains and fermentation for overproduction of a model high-value oleochemical, astaxanthin, from lipid substrates. Importantly, while we have chosen to focus our study on astaxanthin, the knowledge gained from completion of the present project is also likely to advance our ability to produce other acetyl-CoA derived fine chemicals, such as terpenoids, sterols, polyketides, and polyhydroxybutyrates, from yeast biorefineries using lipid feedstocks.The three objectives are to:Decipher lipid assimilation and flux network for astaxanthin biosynthesis in Y. lipolytica utilizing fatty carbon sources.Engineer lipid-fed Y. lipolytica for astaxanthin overproduction.Optimize extractive fermentation of lipid substrates with high-performance Yarrowia strains for astaxanthin overproduction.