VALUABLE Sustainable Lipid Production with Cutaneotrichosporon oleaginosus: Insights into Metabolism, Feedstock Valorization and Bioprocess Development

The production of microbial lipids through single-cell oil (SCO) technologies has gained increasing attention as a sustainable alternative source of lipids for industrial applications.This development is driven by the limitations of plant-based oils, particularly their competitionwith food production and demand for arable land. Cutaneotrichosporon oleaginosus hasbeen recognized as one of the most promising oleaginous microorganisms for efficient SCOproduction. To improve sustainability and economic viability, it is vital to understand theunderlying metabolic mechanism of SCO production as well as needs and limitations inbioprocess engineering for the efficient utilization of carbon sources derived from diverseagricultural and industrial side streams. This review focuses on recent studies exploringthe potential of SCO production through C. oleaginosus in a bioprocess context through theapplication of low-cost agro-industrial by-products as alternative carbon sources aimingto supply lipid raw materials for various industrial applications. C. oleaginosus can growon different agro-industrial waste-derived substrates, including lignocellulosic biomasshydrolysates, biodiesel production process side streams, chitin-based by-products, cheesewhey permeates, fungal biomass hydrolysates and algal biomass hydrolysates. These substratescontain various carbon sources, such as glucose, galactose, mannose, xylose, lactose,N-acetyl-glucosamine and glycerol, facilitating efficient SCO production. Additionally,the specific composition of SCO sourced from C. oleaginosus, including the presence offunctional compounds like squalene and prevalent long-chain unsaturated fatty acids in itsfatty acid profile, make it an ideal option to be used as a raw material in cosmetics, biofueland food products. This comprehensive overview aims to shed light on the potential ofC. oleaginosus in leveraging carbon source alternatives for sustainable SCO production formultifaceted, industrial applications of SCO.