The present work studied low-cost carbon sources for carotenoid and lipid production using the yeast
Rhodosporidum toruloides NCYC 921. Carob pulp syrup and sugarcane molasses at different concentrations
were used as low-cost carbon sources in R. toruloides batch cultivations. Carob pulp syrup containing a
total sugar concentration of 75 g L1 induced the highest total fatty acid productivity (1.90 g L1 h1
)
and the highest carotenoid productivity (9.79 lg L1 h1
). Flow cytometric analysis revealed that most
of the yeast cells (>60%) grown on carob pulp syrup displayed intact polarised membranes, conversely
to the cells grown on sugarcane molasses, wherein a large proportion (>45%) displayed permeabilised
cytoplasmic membranes.
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