Cold-adapted yeasts for hydrocarbon degradation: bioremediation insights from extreme environments
Author(s)
Date Issued
2026
Type
article
Volume
211
Start Page
106338
Abstract
Cold-adapted yeast strains were isolated from Continental Antarctic soils through hydrocarbon-based enrichment
and characterized for their potential in low-temperature hydrocarbon degradation. Molecular identification
revealed the isolates as Rhodosporidiobolus odoratus, Rhodotorula mucilaginosa, and Filobasidium magnum. Growth
assays on 30 carbon (C) and 5 nitrogen (N) sources at 10 →C revealed differential metabolic traits among the
strains, with F. magnum exhibiting the broadest substrate assimilation profile, including hexadecane utilization.
Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was employed to evaluate the hydrocarbon-degrading capacity
of the isolates in Bushnell-Haas broth supplemented with spent engine oil. The initial composition of the
oil was dominated by C20–C50 alkanes (78%), with minor fractions of methyl esters (11%), polycyclic aromatic
hydrocarbons (PAHs; 5%), BTEX compounds (3%), C1–C20 alkanes (2%), and alkylbenzenes (1%). After 30 days
of incubation at 10 →C, significant differences in degradation efficiency were observed among the strains.
R. odoratus significantly reduced long-chain alkanes, whereas both R. odoratus and F. magnum decreased PAHs
and aromatic derivatives. F. magnum achieved the lowest residual relative abundance of BTEX and alkyl biphenyls.
In contrast, R. mucilaginosa showed limited degradation capacity and in some cases, an accumulation of
aromatic intermediates. These findings indicate that the yeast isolates R. odoratus and F. magnum exhibit
promising hydrocarbon-degrading activity across multiple compound classes, including both aliphatic and aromatic
hydrocarbons. Hydrocarbon degradation by cold-adapted microorganisms therefore represents a sustainable
strategy to mitigate petroleum pollution in extreme environments such as Antarctica and any other cold
regions with polar or alpine climate, where low temperatures and nutrient scarcity constrain natural attenuation
processes.