Astaxanthin production by Phaffia rhodozyma and Haematococcus pluvialis: a comparative study

Abstract

Phaffia rhodozyma (now Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous) and Haematococcus pluvialis are known as the major prominent microorganisms able to synthesize astaxanthin natural pigment. Important research efforts have been made to determine optimal conditions for astaxanthin synthesis. When the focus is on astaxanthin production, the maximal reported value of 9.2 mg/g cell is obtained within H. pluvialis grown on BAR medium, under continuous illumination (345 micromol photon m(-2) s(-1)) and without aeration. Whereas fermentation by mutated R1 yeast grown on coconut milk produced 1,850 microg/g yeast. However, when looking at astaxanthin productivity, the picture is slightly different. The figures obtained with P. rhodozyma are rather similar to those of H. pluvialis. Maximal reported values are 170 microg/g yeast per day with a wild yeast strain and 370 microg/g yeast per day with mutated R1 yeast. In the case of H. pluvialis, maximal values ranged from 290 to 428 microg/g cell per day depending on the media (BG-11 or BAR), light intensity (177 micromol photon m(-2) s(-1)), aeration, etc. The main aim of this work was to examine how astaxanthin synthesis, by P. rhodozyma and H. pluvialis, could be compared. The study is based on previous works by the authors where pigment productions have been reported.

Astaxanthin: structural and functional aspects

“…The use of renewable sources of astaxanthin is of increasing economic interest as an alternative to its synthetic production 26 . The yeast Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous (Phaffia rhodozyma) and the microalgae Haematococcus pluvialis (H. pluvialis) are known as the main microorganisms capable of synthesizing astaxanthin 27 . A number of studies have been carried out to determine the best conditions to synthesize and extract astaxanthin from these microorganisms [28][29][30] .…”

“…A number of studies have been carried out to determine the best conditions to synthesize and extract astaxanthin from these microorganisms [28][29][30] . H. pluvialis accumulates higher amounts of ketocarotenoids in cytoplasmic lipid vesicles and has been reported to be the richest source of natural astaxanthin 14 , reaching 9.2mg/g cell 27 .…”

A 2015-ös év algája szavazás jelöltjei

“…Az asztaxantin védelmet nyújt az UV károsító hatásával szemben, valamint jelentős gyulladáscsökkentő, ill. immunerősítő hatása van (KOBAYASHI & OKADA 2000). Ez utóbbi magyarázza a széleskörű felhasználási lehetőségeit a humánegészségügy területén is (LORENZ & CYSEWSKI 2000, FÁBREGAS et al 2001, DOMÍNGUEZ-BOCANEGRA et al 2007, CHOI et al 2011, TOCQUIN et al 2012. Az állati takarmányozásban pedig elsődlegesen mint színezőanyagot használják (pl.…”

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“…Astaxanthin can be significantly more effective than b-carotene and lutein at preventing UV-light photooxidation of lipids 25 . Oxidative damage to the eye and skin by UV light has been widely documented 34,35 and thus, the unique UV protection properties of astaxanthin could be very important for eye and skin health.…”

“…Both diseases appear to be related to lightinduced oxidative processes within the eye 34,36 . It is therefore not surprising that factors related to oxidation have been shown in epidemiological studies to be related to an elevated risk for AMD, drusen formation, blurred vision, loss of visual acuity, loss of dark vision.A high dietary intake of carotenoids, specifically lutein and zeaxanthin from spinach, kale, and other leafy green vegetables) is associated with a reduced risk for both nuclear cataracts and AMD 37,38 .…”