Abstract
Microbial oils are emerging as sustainable alternatives to petrochemical-derived raw materials in applications such as epoxy coatings. In this context, the NordiCoats project investigates the potential of microbial lipids produced by the oleaginous yeast Rhodotorula toruloides and the marine thraustochytrid Schizochytrium sp. These organisms were selected due to their high capacity for lipid biosynthesis, including polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), which offer favourable properties for polymer formulations. Importantly, both species have already showed a potential for industrialization, with established cultivation protocols. R. toruloides is known for its robust growth on diverse substrates and high lipid accumulation, while Schizochytrium is a proven producer of long-chain PUFAs such as DHA. The aim of this study is to evaluate the scalability of these strains in fed-batch fermentation production mode to obtain biomass with high lipid content.