In this study, four industrial wastes including palm oil mill
effluent, serum latex from the rubber latex concentrate industry,
crude glycerol from a biodiesel plant and molasses from a sugar
cane plant were characterized (Table 1). Among these wastes,
effluents from the palm oil mill and the serum latex could be used
as base media for cultivation of oleaginous yeasts since they are in
liquid phase and discharged in abundance. The presence of pentose
in the palm oil mill effluent has been reported previously and its
most likely source is the palm cell wall (Habib et al., 1997). Typical
composition of the serum latex is: rubber hydrocarbon 4.5–5.5%;
protein: 3.0–3.5%; carbohydrates: 2.5–3.0%; other nitrogenous
substances: 1–1.5%; metallic ions: