Yarrowia lipolytica is found in contaminated soil and water.
On account of its ability to grow on fats and oils, Y. lipolytica
naturally detoxifies oily pollutants in an environmentally-friendly
manner.
This has led to its use in the clean-up of crude oil spills or
waste water steams from olive and palm oil mills. This rather
unconventional yeast has also been used to degrade soil-based pollutants
such as 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) and organophosphate insecticides.
Unlike S. cerevisiae and S. pombe, Y. lipolytica
does not produce ethanol; instead, it can convert oily wastes into
useful products such as biodiesel, edible oils, citric acid (which is
used as an acidity regulator or flavour enhancer) or the building blocks
for polymers.
When it is not cleaning up the environment, working in
bomb-disposal or up-cycling waste into useful chemicals, Y. lipolytica can also be found contributing towards the texture and flavour of the cheeses and hams in which it is also found.
Copyright: University of California, Riverside.
[source: Fantastic yeasts and where to find them]
