UK team working on yeast alternative to palm oil

Researchers from the Universities of Bath and York are working on a yeast-based alternative to palm oil, which they hope to be able to produce on an industrial scale.

Palm oil has a wide range of uses including biofuel, cosmetics and as an ingredient in foods such as cakes and biscuits. However, farming of palm is associated with widespread deforestation, particularly in parts of South East Asia. The environmental impact includes loss of habitat for wildlife, water pollution, and carbon emissions resulting from fires used to clear the land.

Previous work at Bath involved the production of a thick oil nearly identical in properties to palm oil, using the yeast Metschnikowia pulcherrima. The yeast can be grown under non-sterile conditions on a variety of agricultural and food wastes, and the researchers believe it could provide an alternative to palm and the destructive farming methods that often accompany it.