THE FERMENTATION OF LONG-CHAIN COMPOUNDS BY TORULOPSIS MAGNOLIAE: I. STRUCTURES OF THE HYDROXY FATTY ACIDS OBTAINED BY THE FERMENTATION OF FATTY ACIDS AND HYDROCARBONS

Abstract

The yield of extracellular glycolipid produced by Torulopsis magnoliae is increased three-to five-fold by the addition of suitable compounds to the growing culture. The supplement, which can be a long-chain acid, ester, hydrocarbon, or glyceride, is hydroxylated and converted to hydroxy fatty acid sophorosides. Fatty esters of all chain lengths from C 16 to C 22 , including several unsaturated esters, and even-numbered hydrocarbons from C 16 to C 24 are readily fermented. Shorter-chain compounds are used poorly or not at all. With compounds of 16 to 18 carbon atoms, hydroxylation occurs at the terminal or penultimate carbon atom, depending on degree of unsaturation and chain length. Substrates of more than 18 carbon atoms are mainly reduced in chain length by one or more two-carbon units and hydroxylated, giving C 17 or C 18 acids with the hydroxyl group on the penultimate carbon atom. The various enzymic reactions which occur during the fermentation are discussed.