Yarrowia lipolytica in Biotechnological Applications

The nonconventional yeast Yarrowia lipolytica has been developed as a versatile and attractive tool for a large variety of biotechnological applications. This yeast has several physiological properties with industrial significance. Y. lipolytica uses hydrophobic substrates such as n-alkanes, oils, fats, and fatty acids as low-cost carbon sources. The yeast is able to produce a set of diverse added-value metabolites when grown on such low-value carbon sources. The useful physiological properties of the yeast have been used in various biotechnological processes ranging from enzymes, organic acids, single cell protein, single cell oil, or heterologous protein production to fatty acids bioconversions or bioremediation of environmental pollutants. This chapter presents a review of biotechnological applications of Y. lipolytica as high-throughput yeast in extracellular enzymes, organic acids and heterologous protein production, food and pharmaceutical industry, fine chemistry, and waste treatment as well as covers the recent developments in the application of the yeast in some fields.