Long-chain alcohols occur as components of animal, higher plant and microbial lipids as free alcohols, precursors of glycerol ether lipids and in combination with carboxylic acids as wax esters

Fourteen yeast strains from six genera were analysed for the presence of long-chain alcohols. Six strains from three genera contained long-chain alcohols, highest levels being found in Candida afbicans. The alcohols were identified and determined by TLC, GLC and GLC-MS. The major long-chain alcohols synthesized by these organisms were saturated, primary alcohols with C1 4, C I 6 or C18 chain length. Unsaturated long-chain alcohols were not detected. In all strains that produced long-chain alcohols, the relative proportions were C I 6 > C18 > C14. Long-chain alcohol contents were higher in organisms from anaerobically, as compared with aerobically, grown cultures reaching about 650 pg (g dry wt organisms)-' in stationary-phase cultures of C. afbicans. In cultures of C . albicans, synthesis of long-chain alcohols occurred only after the end of exponential growth. The alcohols were predominantly present as free alcohols. The fatty-acyl chain-length profile of the triacylglycerol and to a lesser extent the sterol/wax ester fractions from C . albicans reflected that of the long-chain alcohols produced by this yeast.