GC-MS based profiling of alkanes in the filamentous yeast Hyphozyma roseoniger (Moesziomyces antarcticus).

Hyphozyma roseoniger, a filamentous yeast, is used as a biocatalyst in the bio-transformation of terpenoids; however, the microorganism's endogenous ability to synthesise and metabolise hydrophobic terpenes and alkanes has not been characterised.When grown in potato dextrose broth the organism reached the stationary phase at 14 d. The non-polar fraction from cells, harvested every second day, were obtained with ethyl acetate extraction and analysed by gas chromatography with mass-spectrometric detection. Principal component-and hierarchical cluster analysis indicated growth-dependent clustering of the sample groups. A total of 26 alkanes were annotated across the different developmental stages.The major hydrocarbons comprised linear and branched structures. The dominant alkanes were all odd- or even-carbon numbered long-chain n-alkanes, C15 > C18 > C24.