β-carotene production in Yarrowia lipolytica under continuous fermentation
Different cultivation modes (batch, fedbatch, continuous) and culture conditions are tested to assess the long-term β-carotene production capacity of Yarrowia lipolytica. Continuous fermentation hastens the emergence of low-producing subpopulations in engineered Y. lipolytica.
Oxygen limitation and high dilution rates in continuous bioreactors greatly reduce sustained β-carotene production. Oil feedstock amplifies population heterogeneity but boosts β-carotene yield and stabilizes production.
Bioreactor kinetic models reveal subpopulation dynamics and offer mechanistic insights into observed experimental outcomes.
To reduce the risks of commercializing laboratory strains, scale-down approaches using continuous fermentation should be developed to assess their scalability.
https://www.cell.com/trends/biotechnology/fulltext/S0167-7799(25)00356-7
