Biodegradation and utilization of waste cooking oil by Yarrowia lipolytica CECT 1240

摘要

Biodegradation of waste cooking oil and its application as lipase production inducer in cultures of Yarrowia lipolytica CECT 1240 have been investigated, both in shake flasks and a bench-scale bioreactor. The ability of this strain to degrade the spent oil was evaluated by monitoring COD throughout the cultures, and a remarkable decrease was recorded (almost 90% decrease in oil COD after 3 days in bioreactor). Moreover, the addition of waste cooking oil to the medium led to a significant augmentation in extracellular lipase production by the yeast, compared to oil-free cultures. This confirms the suitability of the studied residue as an inducer of lipase biosynthesis, which is a very interesting fact, from an economic standpoint. These results were confirmed when a fed-batch strategy was proposed. Finally, some properties of the crude enzyme were studied, and compared to the enzymes obtained when non-used oil was added to the medium.