Isolation and identification of oleaginous endophytic fungi.

Endophytic fungi are a rich source of novel organic compounds with interesting biological activities and a high level of biodiversity. A total of 76 endophytic fungus strains were isolated from 13 species of plants. Through a preliminary screening and fermentation assay, a fungi named ML-GEN.1 isolated from Strobilanthes cusia was found and the lipid content reached 59%. This is the first report of oleaginous microorganism which is isolated from S. cusia. ML-GEN.1 was identified as Fusarium sp.ML-GEN.1 through morphological and molecular methods. Similar to vegetable oils, the fatty acid composition of lipid from Fusarium sp. ML-GEN.1 contained oleic acid (41.66%), palmitic acid (23.26%), linoleic acid (19.18%), and the unsaturated fatty acids amounted to about 61%. In waste molasses fermentation, Fusarium sp. ML-GEN.1 accumulated lipid to 29% of biomass when various sugars in waste molasses were utilized as the carbon source. The biomass was 22.8 g/L, which was much higher than the original value (12.7 g/L).   Key words: Oleaginous endophytic fungi, biodiesel, waste molasses.