Abstract: The yeast Rhodosporidium toruloides is capable of lipid biosynthesis and accumulation up to more than 30% of dried cell biomass. It is a  potential source for biodiesel production. Recent studies have shown that the applications of culture technologies can promote increased lipid accumulation in R. toruloides. In this study, the authors investigated the lipid biosynthesis ability of two yeast strains R. toruloides VTCC 20689 and VTCC 20765 isolated in Vietnam. The results indicated that both strains have the ability to accumulate lipids up to approximately 45% of the dried biomass of cells when cultured at 30^oC for 48 h in the culture medium with pH 5.5. Cultivation of these two yeast strains on some different carbon sources showed that sugarcane molasses can be used as a low-cost carbon source for efficient lipid biosynthesis. When growing both strains on the medium with sugarcane molasses, the lipid biosynthesis reached about 44%, which is equivalent to in the medium with glucose.

Keywords: culture conditions, lipid biosynthesis, Rhodosporidium toruloides, yeast.