The first feedstock we have evaluated is puree from culled papaya
fruits, and we have found that this crude agricultural residue supports
high cell density and high lipid accumulation in strains of
C. protothecoides. As a snapshot, commercial papaya production on Ha-
waii Island is an $8.2 M industry producing in excess of 25 M pounds
[17]; however, an estimated 35%–50% of the total crop is off-quality
fruit that are unsalable and are wasted. We present here quantitative
data on the growth and oil production of C. protothecoides on growth
medium comprised of solely diluted waste papaya as a demonstration
on the feasibility of zero-waste agriculture in Hawaii and abroad