The newly isolated oleaginous yeast, Rhodotorula babjevae Y-SL7, was shown to accumulate high intracellular content of microbial oil (mainly
triacylglycerols) and to secret, under the same culture conditions, an atypical
glycolipid. This unusual behavior was induced when the strain was subjected to
nitrogen limitation and high amount of
carbon. A series of analytical methods was adopted in order to structurally characterize the secreted
glycolipid. The latter consists of a mixture of 9 molecules formed by a
polyol head group, bound through the carboxyl end of an acetylated 3-hydroxy
fatty acid with C18 or C16 chain length. In addition of their physicochemical properties such as emulsifying activity on hydrophobic substrates, Y-SL7
glycolipids have shown a therapeutically promising cytotoxic effect against different
cancer cell lines. In fact, Y-SL7 strain can be used for the production of
triacylglycerols as energetic molecules and for the secretion of a biosurfactant of therapeutic and environmental interest.