gamma-Linolenic acid production by solid-state fermentation of Mucorales strains on cereals

Oleaginous fungi of the genus Mucorales were screened for gamma -linolenic acid (GLA) production on solid substrates containing moistened cereals. Cun ninghamella elegans CCF 1318 produced the highest yields of GLA when cultiv ated on barley. Substrate moisture and cultivation temperature proved criti cal for effective GLA production. Vegetable oil supplied to the cultures im proved GLA production. Rotating bottles and plastic bags were used as culti vation vessels to reproduce the conditions found in rotating drums and tray bioreactors, respectively. After 11 days of cultivation at 21 degreesC, C. elegans produced 14.2 mg of GLA per gram of dry substrate, composed of a m ixture of barley, spent malt grains (SMG) and peanut oil. GLA represented 1 5.6% of the total fatty acids in the lipid extract. (C) 2000 Elsevier Scien ce Ltd. All rights reserved.