Biomass Production by Yarrowia lipolytica from Olive Mill Wastewater: Evaluation of Protein Content

Olive mill wastewater (OMW), a by-product of olive oil production, is a promising substrate for microbial applications. This agro-industrial waste offers considerable potential for biomass production as it contains carbon and nitrogen sources that support microbial growth. Additionally, utilization of this waste contributes to environmentally sustainable waste management. Utilizing OMW as a growth medium, Yarrowia lipolytica offers an alternative to synthetic media, enhancing the economic value of this waste while reducing production costs. In this study, biomass production by Y. lipolytica from OMW was optimized using the Taguchi method. The experimental design evaluated the effects of the OMW dilution rate (20, 40, and 60%), nitrogen concentration (0, 1, and 2 g/L), and incubation time (3, 5, and 7 days). Nine experiments were conducted using the L9 orthogonal array, and significant factors were identified using analysis of variance (ANOVA). Among these variables, nitrogen concentration significantly influenced biomass production (p < 0.05). The highest biomass concentration of 11.58±0.93 g/L was achieved, and the optimum conditions were found as OMW dilution rate of 60%, 2 g/L nitrogen addition, and 5 days of incubation. Under these conditions, the protein content of the biomass was determined as 25.88±0.63% w/w biomass dry weight.