RHODOTORULA TORULOIDES AS A BIOFACTORY OF CAROTENOIDS, LIPIDS, AND ENZYMES

Rhodotorula toruloides ( Rhodosporidium toruloides ) is a promising oil yeast that can be used to produce various valuable chemicals with a wide range of industrial applications. These yeasts can store more than 70% of their cell dry weight in internal lipids (single-cell oil, SCO). This microorganism also synthesizes carotenoids such as carotene, torulene, and torulargodine which are widely used in the cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and food industries. These antioxidants also are used as ingredients in feed for animals, including fish and shellfish. The ability of R. toruloides to synthesize several enzymes, including phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), is one of its most notable features. There are many efforts to reduce the cost of SCO, pigments, and enzymes by improving the metabolism of genetically modified R. toruloides strains and using cheap substrates for fermentation such as crude glycerol, lignocellulosic hydrolysates, food waste, and agricultural wastewater, among others. This review aims to describe the R. toruloides properties as a source of carotenoids, lipids, and enzymes. The authors include our current understanding of the methods applied to obtain these metabolites and their importance for biotechnological and industrial applications.