Digital Evaluation of Growth and Lipid Production in Lipomyces starkeyi from a Single Cell

The stable lipid supply from Lipomyces starkeyi is important because it is one of the highest among lipid-producing microorganisms; however, the cell density required for lipid production could not be determined. In this study, we evaluated the cell density by directly counting the number of L. starkeyi using our original culture-process-integrated incubator array. As a result, L. starkeyi was grown from a single cell, and both the initial growth and lipid production were assessed under a microscope. We demonstrated that the cell density required to initiate lipid production in our incubator remains exactly the same regardless of the carbon/nitrogen ratio of the medium or the culture temperature.