Pretreated sugarcane bagasse matches performance of synthetic media for lipid production with Yarrowia lipolytica.

Engineered strains of Yarrowia lipolytica with modified lipid profiles and other desirable properties for microbial oil production are widely reported but are almost exclusively characterized in synthetic laboratory-grade media. Ensuring translatable performance between synthetic media and industrially scalable lignocellulosic feedstocks is a critical challenge. Yarrowia lipolytica growth and lipid production were characterized in media derived from two-step acid-catalyzed glycerol pretreatment of sugarcane bagasse.