Trichosporon oleaginosus (Picture by Minou Nowrousian)

Trichosporon oleaginosus

Trichosporon oleaginosus is a basidiomycete belonging to the order Tremellales. In contrast to many higher mushroom-forming basidiomycetes, T. oleaginosus is a yeast, i.e. a unicellular fungus. It was isolated based on its ability to accumulate lipids, and is a potential production system for third generation biodiesel. The triglycerides produced by the organism contain a favourable fatty acid composition for fuel applications, including biosynthetic kerosin equivalents, which have applications in the automotive and aviation sector. With regard to its biotechnological application, another important factor is the ability of T. oleaginosus to metabolize a wide variety of carbon sources including glycerol, xylose and glucose, the building blocks of many lignocellulosic residues. Thus, T. oleaginosus is a potential production system for environmentally friendly (carbon-neutral) energy by converting agro-industrial waste to fuel.