Candida utilis assimilates oligomeric sugars in rice straw hydrolysate via the Calcium-Capturing-by-Carbonation (CaCCO) process for glutathione- and cell-biomass production

•Candida utilis produced glutathione and yeast biomass from rice straw hydrolysate.•The yeast degraded oligosaccharides in the hydrolysate as well as monosaccharides.•Glucose- and xylose depletion by the yeast reached 99.1% and 84.2%, respectively.

Rice-straw hydrolysate (RSH) prepared via the CaCCO (Calcium Capturing by Carbonation) process contains not only monosaccharides but also significant amounts of oligosaccharides. In this study, a glutathione-producing yeast, Candida utilis NBRC 0626, was found to assimilate those oligosaccharides. The yields of reduced glutathione (GSH) and dry cell weight (DCW) per consumed sugars in a medium with RSH after 72 h incubation were 10.1 mg/g-sugars and 0.49 g/g-sugars, respectively. The yields were comparative to those in a medium containing a model monosaccharide mix, suggesting that the assimilated oligosaccharides contribute to additional GSH and DCW production. Glycosyl linkage analysis indicated that the yeast could cleave xylose-, galactose-, and arabinose residues as well as glucose residues at the non-reducing ends. After 72 h incubation, 99.1% of the total glucose residues and 84.2% of the total xylose residues in RSH were depleted. Thus the yeast could be applied for efficient utilization of lignocellulosic hydrolysates.