Executive Summary : | Oleaginous microbes, including yeasts, are potential sources of lipids that could be used as fuel precursors or dietary commodities. They have a short propagation time of 80 hours, making them a cost-effective alternative to plant-borne oil or algal oil. However, high processing costs pose a challenge for commercialization. The current proposal aims to reduce oil imports and minimize carbon footprints by using yeast oil as a partial replacement for edible oil. This process is environmentally friendly, as it uses waste resources that are otherwise depleted by burning or conversion to biogas. PI's lab (Amity University, Noida) is actively engaged in producing and extracting yeast compounds using waste feedstock from an oleaginous yeast strain. Co-PIs lab (Palamuru University) is equipped for microbiological, cytotoxicity, and anti-cancer testing. Edible/cooking oil blended with yeast lipid increases the amount of PUFAs or omega fatty acids, resulting in enhanced properties. The results will be extended to establish anticancer properties of active components of carotenoids dissolved in yeast lipid. The pharmacological profile of potent active compounds will be evaluated in animal models to develop drug candidates.
The production of lipid and carotenoids from oleaginous red yeast cultivated on waste hydrolysates can be an excellent waste-to-waste approach for generating nutraceuticals with biomedical importance. Preclinical studies will generate valuable information for clinical development of carotenoid-based low-cost, non-toxic anti-breast cancer compounds. |