Pressed sap from oil palm (<scp><i>Elaeis guineensis</i></scp>) trunks: a revolutionary growth medium for the biotechnological industry?

n recent decades, the demand for palm oil has constantly increased and with it the cultivation of oil palms. After a period of 25 years, the oil yield of the palm trees decreases and they are felled. The trees are cut into pieces and remain on the plantations. However, due to their high moisture and sugar content, fungi and molds cause problems for replanting. The use of the wood for the timber industry is difficult due to its structural characteristics. Biotechnological processes use microorganisms to produce relevant industrial products. The basis for each process is a culture medium that contains all necessary nutrients, especially carbohydrates. The culture medium makes up a high percentage of the costs, so alternative, cheaper substrates are preferred. In this review, we show and compare different analyses of the sap mechanically pressed from the oil palm trunk regarding its sugar and nutrient content. The total sugar concentration in the palm sap varies between 16.97–140 g L<jats:sup>−1</jats:sup> and it is mainly composed of glucose, fructose, and sucrose. The comparison with common nutrient media and the results of fermentation processes already carried out on a laboratory scale show that palm sap offers great potential as a fermentation medium for biotechnological conversion into industrially relevant products.