MICROBIAL CONVERSION OF PALMITOLEIC ACID TO 9,12-HEXADECADIENOIC ACID(16 2-OMEGA-4) BY TRICHODERMA SP AM076/

Trichoderma sp. AM076, isolated from a freshwater sample, was found to accumulate 9,12-cis-hexadecadienoic acid (16:2 omega 4), when grown w ith palmitoleic acid (16:1 omega 7). Methyl myristate was the best car bon source for the conversion of palmitoleic acid to 16:2w4. The mycel ial 16:2w4 content reached 17.4 mg/g dry mycelia (443 mg/L) when the f ungus was grown in a medium that contained 2.0% methyl myristate, 1.5% yeast extract, and 2.0% methyl palmitoleate, pH 6.0, for 5 d at 28 de grees C with shaking. In both nonpolar and polar lipids from the mycel ia, 16:2 omega 4 was detected as one of the major fatty acids when 16: 1 omega 7 was added. It is probable that 16:1 omega 7 is converted to 16:2 omega 4 through the Delta 12 desaturation reaction.