Vegetable oil enriched with n-caproate and n-caprylate via extractive lactate-based chain elongation

In this study, sunflower oil is used as solvent to extract biologically produced medium-chain carboxylates (MCC) during extractive lactate-based chain elongation. The MCC-enriched solvent is harvested as a potential novel product for direct application without further MCC separation or purification. The MCC n-caproate (nC6) together with considerable amounts of n-caprylate (nC8) were produced from L-lactate and acetate in continuous lactate-based chain elongation reactors at pH 5.0 with the genus Caproiciproducens dominating the microbiome composition.