S83: Engineering Yarrowia lipolytica for the production of high-valued commercial products

At DuPont, the oleaginous yeast Yarrowia lipolyticia has been used as host for the production of carotenoids, resveratrol, omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids via engineering of metabolic pathways and global regulators.  We have developed clean and renewable commercial products of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, C20:5) omega-3 fatty acid oil and EPA-rich biomass by fermentation. The EPA oil has been used as human nutritional supplement; and the EPA-rich biomass is being used as an omega-3 supplement in fish feed for harmoniously raised salmon, Verlasso^TM (www.verlasso.com). The yeast triacylglyceride oil has a unique fatty acid profile with less than 5% as saturated fatty acids and more than 55% as EPA that has health benefits for humans and animals. The EPA-rich biomass used in the fish feed results in the use of 75% fewer feeder fish in the diets of Verlasso^TM salmon while maintaining their omega-3 requirements for a healthy diet.  We will discuss approaches, such as regulation of global regulators, engineering of metabolic pathways and development of fermentation processes, implemented for the production of two commercial products. The bioengineering of Yarrowia generates a platform technology to produce high value oil and biomass with tailored omega-3 or omega-6 fatty acid compositions. Our land-based production of EPA, DHA, ARA or GLA provides a superior source for these essential molecules for applications in nutritional supplements, functional foods, infant foods, medical foods, pharmaceuticals, and animal feeds.