The extraction of a microbial or single cell oil, for example comprising one or more polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), directly from microbial cells is disclosed which avoids the need for solvents. After fermentation, the microbial cells are pasteurised, washed and the cell walls lysed or disrupted by a mechanical (e.g. homogenisation), physical (boiling or drying), chemical (solvents) or enzymatic (cell wall degrading enzymes) technique. The oil (containing the PUFA) is then separated from the resulting cell wall debris. This is achieved by centrifugation, which results in an oily phase (top layer) that contains the oil which that can be separated from an aqueous phase (containing the cell wall debris). The oil can then be extracted and if necessary the PUFA can be purified or isolated from the oil.
