The main objective of integrative biorefinery platforms is to propose efficient green methodologies addressed to obtain high-value compounds with low emissions through biochemical conversions. This work first screened the capacity of various oleaginous yeast to cosynthesize high-value biomolecules such as lipids and carotenoids. Selected strains were evaluated for their ability to coproduce such biocompounds in the waste-based media of agro-food (brewer’s spent grain, pasta processing waste and bakery waste). Carbon and nitrogen source feedstock was obtained through enzymatic hydrolysis of the agro-food waste, where up to 80% of total sugar/starch conversion was obtained. Then, the profitability of the bioprocess for microbial oil (MO) and carotenoids production by Sporobolomyces roseus CFGU-S005 was estimated via simulation using SuperPro Designer^®. Results showed the benefits of establishing optimum equipment scheduling by identifying bottlenecks to increase profitability. Sensitivity analysis demonstrated the impact of MO price and batch throughput on process economics. A profitable process was achieved with a MO batch throughput of 3.7 kg/batch (ROI 31%, payback time 3.13 years). The results revealed areas that require further improvement to achieve a sustainable and competitive process for the microbial production of carotenoids and lipids.

The replacement of synthetic dyes has gained increasing attention due to stricter regulatory policies and growing health concerns. Microbial carotenoids represent a promising alternative to artificial food colorants; however, their large-scale production is limited by the high cost of raw materials. In this context, the valorization of lignocellulosic biomass offers a strategy to develop low-cost substrates for microbial bioprocesses. Sotol bagasse (SB), an underutilized lignocellulosic residue generated during sotol production, was composed of 24% cellulose, 14% hemicellulose, and 42% lignin. A non-thermal plasma pretreatment, optimized through response surface methodology, achieved up to 29% of lignin removal. Subsequent enzymatic hydrolysis yielded a total sugar concentration of 28 g/L. The resulting hydrolysate supported the growth of Rhodotorula glutinis, yielding 4.4 g/L of biomass and 0.91 mg/L of carotenoids. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report describing the use of non-thermal plasma as a pretreatment strategy for sotol bagasse, demonstrating its potential as a chemical-free approach for lignocellulosic valorization and sustainable microbial carotenoid production.