The present work studied low-cost carbon sources for carotenoid and lipid production using the yeast Rhodosporidum toruloides NCYC 921. Carob pulp syrup and sugarcane molasses at different concentrations were used as low-cost carbon sources in R. toruloides batch cultivations. Carob pulp syrup containing a total sugar concentration of 75 g L-1 induced the highest total fatty acid productivity (1.90 g L-1 h(-1)) and the highest carotenoid productivity (9.79 mu g L-1 h(-1)). Flow cytometric analysis revealed that most of the yeast cells (>60%) grown on carob pulp syrup displayed intact polarised membranes, conversely to the cells grown on sugarcane molasses, wherein a large proportion (>45%) displayed permeabilised cytoplasmic membranes. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.