LIPID PRODUCTION BY MONASCUS-PURPUREUS ALBINO STRAIN

Monascus purpureus DSM 1379 strain was used to study pigment and lipid synthesis and it was shown that both processes are concurrent. In ord er to obtain only lipids a white mutant has been selected from the red pigment producing strain. This stable mutant lost its ability to prod uce pigments and revealed morphological and biochemical differences co mpared to the parent strain. Kinetics of the lipid biosynthesis of the albino mutant in submerged cultures have been studied at C/N ratios o f 10:1 and 80:1. The estimation of the specific rates of glucose and n itrogen consumption along with the lipid production indicated more eff icient lipid synthesis al C/N ratio 80:1, i.e. 72% (w/w) against 43% ( w/w) for C/N ratio 10:1. The neutral, phospho-and glycolipid compositi on was not influenced by the C/N ratio and nitrogen source used. The i nvestigation of the fatty acid content showed that the major fatty aci ds were C-18:1 (45.5%), and C-16 (22.1%). The selected mutant is able to produce high amount of lipids consisting of 88% triglycerides with a percentage of saturated fatty acids 51%. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science, B.V.