Microbial oil production combined with wastewater management is one option for a more sustainable
future. Micrographs of microbial cultures enriched from palm oil mill effluent (POME) showed lipid inclusion
in the eukaryotic cells, indicating the cells can accumulate lipids. However, enriching the culture did
not increase the total lipids. Therefore, eukaryotic microorganisms were isolated from POME to investigate
whether these microorganisms are potential lipid producers. Four strains were isolated, and their
lipid synthesis capabilities were compared with known oleaginous yeasts in a synthetic oil-free medium.