HYDROCARBON ASSIMILATION BY CANDIDA-LIPOLYTICA - FORMATION OF A BIO-SURFACTANT - EFFECTS ON RESPIRATORY ACTIVITY AND GROWTH

Candida lipolytica is shown to produce an extracellular polymer with emulsifying properties when grown on n-tetradecane or a mixture of linear hydrocarbons. A device for biosurfactant isolation is presented. The polymers recovered from the fermentation broth were found to be complex molecules with a protein, a lipid and a carbohydrate moiety. Their surface active properties suggest a possible role in hydrocarbon uptake by cells. Effectively, the addition of crude polymer resulted in an enhancement of respiration rate which was dependent on n-alkane concentration with glucose grown cells. Likewise in batch culture, maximum growth rate, cell productivity and yield were increased by the presence of the biosurfactant. © 1979 Springer-Verlag.