Rhodosporidium toruloides as a Platform for Conversion of Lignocellulose into Biofuels and Bioproducts

Conversion of plant biomass into biofuels and bioproducts is vital to establish a robust biofuel industry. However, this requires a host that is capable of both assimilation of carbon sources and diversion of their metabolites toward specific bioproducts.

Junko Yaegashi of Joint BioEnergy Institute and Sandia National Laboratories evaluated the yeast Rhodosporidium toruloides for its ability to convert lignocellulose into bisabolene and amorphadiene, which have biofuel and pharmaceutical applications, respectively.

The team found that R. toruloides can efficiently convert a mixture of glucose and xylose from lignocellulose into these bioproducts. Moreover, its growth and productivity were enhanced in lignocellulosic hydrolysate. R. toruloides was also found to have superior growth in corn stover hydrolysates pretreated either with ionic liquid choline α-ketoglutarate or alkaline.

This study highlights the compatibility of R. toruloides with bioprocesses associated with lignocellulosic biorefineries and demonstrates its ability to produce valuable terpenes.