High-throughput screening of non-conventional yeasts for conversion of organic waste to microbial oils via carboxylate platform.

Converting waste into high-value products promotes sustainability by reducing waste and creating new revenue streams. This study investigates the potential of diverse yeasts for microbial oil production by utilizing short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) that can be produced from organic waste and focuses on identifying strains with the best SCFA utilisation, tolerance and lipid production. A collection of 1434 yeast strains was cultivated with SCFAs as the sole carbon source. Eleven strains emerged as candidates with promising growth rates and high lipid accumulation. Subsequent fermentation experiments in liquid SCFA-rich media, which focused on optimizing lipid accumulation by adjusting the carbon to nitrogen (C/N) ratio, showed an increase in lipid content at a C/N ratio of 200:1, but with a concurrent reduction in biomass. Two strains were characterized by their superior ability to produce lipids compared to the reference strain Yarrowia lipolytica CECT124: Y. lipolytica EXF-17398 and Pichia manshurica EXF-7849. Characterization of these two strains indicated that they exhibit a biotechnologically relevant balance between maximizing lipid yield and maintaining growth at high SCFA concentrations. These results emphasize the potential of using SCFAs as a sustainable feedstock for oleochemical production, offering a dual benefit of waste valorisation and microbial oil production.

Xerophilic fungi contaminating historically valuable easel paintings from Slovenia.

Historically valuable canvas paintings are often exposed to conditions enabling microbial deterioration. Painting materials, mainly of organic origin, in combination with high humidity and other environmental conditions, favor microbial metabolism and growth. These preconditions are often present during exhibitions or storage in old buildings, such as churches and castles, and also in museum storage depositories. The accumulated dust serves as an inoculum for both indoor and outdoor fungi. In our study, we present the results on cultivable fungi isolated from 24 canvas paintings, mainly exhibited in Slovenian sacral buildings, dating from the 16th to 21st centuries. Fungi were isolated from the front and back of damaged and undamaged surfaces of the paintings using culture media with high- and low-water activity. A total of 465 isolates were identified using current taxonomic DNA markers and assigned to 37 genera and 98 species. The most abundant genus was Aspergillus, represented by 32 species, of which 9 xerophilic species are for the first time mentioned in contaminated paintings. In addition to the most abundant xerophilic A. vitricola, A. destruens, A. tardicrescens, and A. magnivesiculatus, xerophilic Wallemia muriae and W. canadensis, xerotolerant Penicillium chrysogenum, P. brevicompactum, P. corylophilum, and xerotolerant Cladosporium species were most frequent. When machine learning methods were used to predict the relationship between fungal contamination, damage to the painting, and the type of material present, proteins were identified as one of the most important factors and cracked paint was identified as a hotspot for fungal growth. Aspergillus species colonize paintings regardless of materials, while Wallemia spp. can be associated with animal fat. Culture media with low-water activity are suggested in such inventories to isolate and obtain an overview of fungi that are actively contaminating paintings stored indoors at low relative humidity.