Patent ID: 8288134

Claim:
A process for producing lipids containing polyunsaturated fatty acids from microorganisms of the order Thraustochytriales by conducting a fermentation of the microorganisms in a fermentation medium comprising a carbon source, the process comprising: a) providing the fermentation medium comprising the carbon source at a temperature of at least 20Â° C. and a pH of about 5 to about 11; b) adding the microorganisms to the fermentation medium; c) adding an additional amount of the carbon source to the fermentation medium in a fed-batch process to increase the biomass density of the fermentation medium to at least 100 g/L on a dry cell weight basis, wherein the additional amount of carbon source is added at a rate sufficient to increase the biomass density of the fermentation medium to at least 100 g/L; and d) recovering lipids from the fermentation medium; wherein the primary use of the carbon source by the microorganisms is to produce the lipids when the biomass density of the fermentation medium is at least 100 g/L on a dry cell weight basis, wherein the process produces lipids containing polyunsaturated fatty acids, and wherein polyunsaturated fatty acids are at least 15% of the total lipids when the biomass density is at least 100 g/L.