Adding Value to Agro-industrial Co-products from Canola and Soybean Oil Extraction Through Lipase Production Using Yarrowia lipolytica in Solid-State Fermentation

The vegetable oil industry generates several materials after oil extraction that can be used as animal feed but that can represent an environmental and public health concern in case of improper disposal. However, the bioconversion of these feedstocks for the production of enzymes of industrial interest, such as lipases, by fermentation is an interesting alternative to obtain a product of high added value from a low cost material. This study aimed to use canola cake and soybean meal as feedstocks for lipase production through solid-state fermentation by Yarrowia lipolytica. The lipase obtained from canola cake, after 28 h fermentation presented the highest activity of 72.6 +/- 2.4 U/g when using olive oil as substrate. On the other hand, the activity of the lipase obtained from soybean meal, after 14 h of fermentation reached the highest value of 93.9 +/- 2.9 U/g using olive oil as substrate. The lipase produced from canola cake presented optimal performance at alkaline pH and high temperatures, while the lipase extract produced from soybean meal presented better hydrolytic activity under mild conditions. Yarrowia lipolytica demonstrated high biotechnological potential for solid-state fermentation using canola cake and soybean meal, since it was able to produce lipase in both feedstocks in a short period of time, adding value to these agro-industrial co-products. Furthermore, the lipase crude extracts produced are versatile biocatalysts, once they presented significant hydrolytic activity in different conditions of temperature and pH.