Production, Identification, and Toxicity of (gamma)-Decalactone and 4-Hydroxydecanoic Acid from Sporidiobolus spp.

During the bioconversion of ricinoleic acid to (gamma)-decalactone under controlled pH conditions, Sporidiobolus salmonicolor produced only the lactone form, while Sporidiobolus ruinenii produced both the lactone form and a precursor. By using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and gas chromatography-Fourier transform infrared analysis techniques, the precursor was identified as 4-hydroxydecanoic acid. The levels of production in the presence of high concentrations of ricinoleic acid methyl ester differed in the two Sporidiobolus species. This difference was due on the one hand to the high sensitivity of S. salmonicolor to the lactone and on the other hand to the high level of 4-hydroxydecanoic acid produced by S. ruinenii. 4-Hydroxydecanoic acid is much less toxic to the microorganisms than the lactone. In contrast to S. ruinenii, S. salmonicolor is not able to catabolize 4-hydroxydecanoic acid.