Co-culturing of oleaginous microalgae and yeast: paradigm shift towards enhanced lipid productivity

Oleaginous microalgae and yeast are the two major propitious factories which are sustainable sources for biodiesel production, as they can accumulate high quantities of lipids inside their bodies. To date, various microalgal and yeast species have been exploited singly for biodiesel production. However, despite the ongoing efforts, their low lipid productivity and the high cost of cultivation are still the major bottlenecks hindering their large-scale deployment. Co-culturing of microalgae and yeast has the potential to increase the overall lipid productivity by minimizing its production cost as both these organisms can utilize each other’s by-products. Microalgae act as an O2 generator for yeast while consuming the CO2 and organic acids released by the yeast cells. Further, yeast can break complex sugars in the medium, which can then be utilized by microalgae thereby opening new options for copious and low-cost feedstocks such as agricultural residues. The current review provides a historical and technical overview of the existing studies on co-culturing of yeast and microalgae and elucidates the crucial factors that affect the symbiotic relationship between these two organisms. Furthermore, the review also highlighted the advantages and the future perspectives for paving a path towards a sustainable biodiesel product.