Promising oleaginous filamentous fungi as biodiesel feed stocks: Screening and identification

Some fungi exhibit the capacity to accumulate intracellular lipids in excess of 70 percent of their biomass during metabolic stress periods. Using Nile-red viable colony staining assay, several fungal isolates collected from different Egyptian ecosystems were screened for its lipid production. Four isolates F1, F2, F3 and F4 were identified as promising lipid producers. Lipid production was performed using basal based medium containing glucose and yeast extract as carbon and nitrogen sources. The maximum lipid contents were 50, 49, 46 and 71% of isolates F1, F2, F3 and F4, respectively. Both morphological and molecular examination identified the isolates F1, F2, F3 and F4 as Drechslera sp., Fusarium sp., Fusarium sp. and Aspergillus fumigates, respectively. Identification and determination of produced fatty acids by GC/MS revealed the presence of long chain fatty acids. Fatty acid profiles showed presence of hexadecanoic acid, octdecanoic acid, and 11-octadecenoic acid in all isolates, while 9, 12-octadecadienoic acid was present only in the lipids of strain F4 with percentage value 40%. In conclusion, this work revealed the possibility of using the promising fungal isolates in biodiesel production