{"title":"Rhodotorula-derived polyol esters of fatty acids (PEFA): Insights into a promising class of high-value glycolipids","authors":"Mohamed Guerfali","doi":"10.1016/j.psep.2025.106815","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Recent advancements in microbial biorefinery technologies have led to innovative methods for producing bioactive compounds. A key focus of these advancements is the use of novel microorganisms that act as robust cellular factories, better adapted to stress conditions and capable of simultaneously producing a wide range of bioactive metabolites. Among these, <ce:italic>Rhodotorula</ce:italic> yeast species are recognized as promising for industrial applications, particularly known for their production of polyol esters of fatty acids (PEFA), a unique group of glycolipids. This review is the first to exclusively describe <ce:italic>Rhodotorula</ce:italic>-derived PEFA, highlighting their distinctive biochemical properties, biosynthesis pathways, and structural diversity. The ability of <ce:italic>Rhodotorula</ce:italic> to utilize industrial by-products for PEFA production through de-novo pathways offers an eco-friendly solution, reducing reliance on hydrophobic inducers and expensive raw materials. Additionally, the simplicity of downstream processing streamlines extraction and enhances cost-effectiveness. Notably, the structural diversity of PEFA reveals a range of configurations, contributing to their versatility in applications such as emulsification, antimicrobial activity, and anticancer therapies. Despite these advantages, challenges related to large-scale production and commercial viability persist. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the biotechnological potential of PEFA while addressing current limitations and exploring opportunities for future advancements in this field.","PeriodicalId":20743,"journal":{"name":"Process Safety and Environmental Protection","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.9000,"publicationDate":"2025-01-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Process Safety and Environmental Protection","FirstCategoryId":"93","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psep.2025.106815","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"ENGINEERING, CHEMICAL","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Recent advancements in microbial biorefinery technologies have led to innovative methods for producing bioactive compounds. A key focus of these advancements is the use of novel microorganisms that act as robust cellular factories, better adapted to stress conditions and capable of simultaneously producing a wide range of bioactive metabolites. Among these, Rhodotorula yeast species are recognized as promising for industrial applications, particularly known for their production of polyol esters of fatty acids (PEFA), a unique group of glycolipids. This review is the first to exclusively describe Rhodotorula-derived PEFA, highlighting their distinctive biochemical properties, biosynthesis pathways, and structural diversity. The ability of Rhodotorula to utilize industrial by-products for PEFA production through de-novo pathways offers an eco-friendly solution, reducing reliance on hydrophobic inducers and expensive raw materials. Additionally, the simplicity of downstream processing streamlines extraction and enhances cost-effectiveness. Notably, the structural diversity of PEFA reveals a range of configurations, contributing to their versatility in applications such as emulsification, antimicrobial activity, and anticancer therapies. Despite these advantages, challenges related to large-scale production and commercial viability persist. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the biotechnological potential of PEFA while addressing current limitations and exploring opportunities for future advancements in this field.
期刊介绍:
The Process Safety and Environmental Protection (PSEP) journal is a leading international publication that focuses on the publication of high-quality, original research papers in the field of engineering, specifically those related to the safety of industrial processes and environmental protection. The journal encourages submissions that present new developments in safety and environmental aspects, particularly those that show how research findings can be applied in process engineering design and practice.
PSEP is particularly interested in research that brings fresh perspectives to established engineering principles, identifies unsolved problems, or suggests directions for future research. The journal also values contributions that push the boundaries of traditional engineering and welcomes multidisciplinary papers.
PSEP's articles are abstracted and indexed by a range of databases and services, which helps to ensure that the journal's research is accessible and recognized in the academic and professional communities. These databases include ANTE, Chemical Abstracts, Chemical Hazards in Industry, Current Contents, Elsevier Engineering Information database, Pascal Francis, Web of Science, Scopus, Engineering Information Database EnCompass LIT (Elsevier), and INSPEC. This wide coverage facilitates the dissemination of the journal's content to a global audience interested in process safety and environmental engineering.