Kaneshiro T, Nakamura LK, Nicholson JJ, Bagby MO
Oil Chemical Research, National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1815 North University Street, Peoria, IL 61604, USA
Curr Microbiol. 1996 Jun;32(6):336-42. doi: 10.1007/s002849900060.
Newly isolated Acinetobacter (NRRL B-14920, B-14921, B-14923) and coryneform (NRRL B-14922) strains accumulated oleyl oleate and homologous liquid wax esters (C30:2-C36:2) in culture broths. Diunsaturated oleyl oleate preponderated in 75 mg liquid wax esters (280 mg lipid extract) recovered from 100-ml cultures of Acinetobacter B-14920 supplemented with 810 mg oleic acid-oleyl alcohol. With soybean oil instead of oleic acid, wax esters (260 mg) were increased to approximately 50% of the lipid extract. Production of wax esters by cultures supplemented with combined fatty (C8-C18) alcohols and acids suggests a coordinated synthesis whereby the exogenous alcohol remains unaltered, and the fatty acid is partially oxidized with removal of C2 units before esterification. Consequently, C8-C18 primary alcohols control chain lengths of the wax esters. Exogenous fatty acids are presumed to enter an intracellular oxidation pool from which is produced a homologous series of liquid wax esters.
