Production and carbon footprint of microbial oil from waste lemon peel extract

The agricultural sector is one of the leading producers of agro-industrial solid organic waste. This waste, mainly disposed of by incineration or landfilled, could be used for the production of high-value chemicals. In this study, a fermentation process for the production of microbial oil from waste lemon extract (LE), an aqueous side-stream deriving from waste lemon peel and pulp processing, was developed and assessed for its impact. Microbial oil can have many diverse applications, from plasticizers in plastic and rubber compounds to moisturizers in cosmetic formulations.