A cost-effective process for the coproduction of erythritol and lipase with Yarrowia lipolytica M53 from waste cooking oil

Abstract Waste cooking oil (WCO), an oil-based substance that is produced from cooking, causes heavy burden to the environment and society. The coproduction of erythritol and lipase by Yarrowia lipolytica from this low-cost fatty matter was evaluated in this study. Compared with other oily substances, WCO was more favorable for erythritol and lipase coproduction, and the optimum concentration was 30.0 g/L. As an osmotic agent, 80.0 g/L of NaCl was required for the efficient biosynthesis of erythritol. The beneficial nitrogen source for the coproduction was ammonium oxalate, with a C/N ratio of 87:1. Moreover, key enzymes for erythritol synthesis were induced in WCO medium. The coproduction was then scaled up in a 5 L fermenter. The maximum concentration of erythritol (22.1 g/L) was obtained after 72 h, corresponding to a yield of 0.74 g/g, whereas the highest lipase activity reached 12.7 U/mL in 24 h. This study proposed a low-cost bioprocess for synthesizing high-value products using WCO.