Single cell oil, also known as Microbial oil consists of the intracellular storage lipids, triacyglycerols. It is similar to vegetable oil, another biologically produced oil. They are produced by oleaginous microorganisms, which is the term for those bacteria, molds, algae and yeast, which can accumulate 20% to 80% lipids of their biomass.[1] The accumulation of lipids take place by the end of logarithmic phase and continues during station phase until carbon source begins to reduce with nutrition limitation.
The most important source is some species of yeast, that are able to convert food into triglycerides and accumulate the produced lipids when fed carbohydrates.[2] Production of microbial oil has been researched for production of biodiesel, because impure carbohydrates such as agricultural residues, e.g. waste molasses can be used as a feedstock for production of oil.[3]
The most recent generation of biodiesel is derived from microbial lipids. [...] Oleaginous yeasts are a yeast species that can accumulate more than 20% of their biomass in lipids during lipid production. Strains of this species include Cryptococcus albidus, Lipomyces starkeyi, Rhodosporidium toruloides, Rhodotorula glutinis, and Yarrowia lipolytica [...] and are all considered suitable microorganisms for lipid production because of their ability to use a wide range of low-cost substrates.