Fermentation of Bananas and Other Food Wastes to Produce Microbial Lipid

Abstract

Candida curvata D, a lipid-accumulating yeast, was grown on a variety of carbohydrate-rich waste materials. C. curvata lacks the necessary enzymes to grow well on cellulosic materials, such as corncobs and oat hulls, but it grew well on materials rich in sugar, such as molasses and ripe bananas. Under controlled conditions in a fermenter, growth and lipid production were not very efficient on a molasses substrate. Ripe bananas supported good growth and lipid production and seem to be a promising substrate for fermentation to produce lipid.