High-yield production of erythritol from raw glycerol in fed-batch cultures of Yarrowia lipolytica.

An acetate-negative mutant of Yarrowia lipolytica Wratislavia K1 was selected that, when grown with 300 g raw glycerol l(-1) at pH 3, produced 170 g erythritol l(-1) after 7 days, corresponding to a 56% yield and a productivity of 1 g l(-1) h(-1). The Wratislavia K1 strain did not produce citric acid.