Production and identification of mannosylerythritol lipid-A homologs from the ustilaginomycetous yeast Pseudozyma aphidis ZJUDM34

•Psedozyma aphidis ZJUDM34 has the potential to produce mannosylerythritol lipid-A.•New types of MEL-A homologs were isolated and identified.•MEL-A homologs were found to have long unsaturated fatty acid chains.•Medium with manganese ions is conducive to MEL-A formation.

Mannosylerythritol lipids (MELs) are mainly produced by strains of the genus Pseudozyma and by Ustilago maydis. These glycolipid biosurfactants exhibit not only excellent surface-active properties but also versatile bioactivities. Mannosylerythritol lipid-A (MEL-A) is worth investigating due to its self-assembling property. In this work, crude MELs were produced by resting Pseudozyma aphidis ZJUDM34 cells using different culture media. MEL-A fractions were isolated and identified using high-performance liquid chromatography combined with mass spectrometry (HPLC–MS) and gas chromatography combined with mass spectrometry (GC–MS). The results showed that MEL-A homologs had long unsaturated fatty acid chains, and the chain lengths range from C8 to C20. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) was employed to confirm the chemical structures of the MEL-A homologs. Fermentation medium without NaNO3 and medium with manganese ions enhanced MEL-A production by Pseudozyma aphidis ZJUDM34.

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