Carotenoid Cocktail Produced by An Antarctic Soil Flavobacterium with Biotechnological Potential

Abstract

Carotenoids are highly important in pigmentation, and its content in farmed crustaceans and fish correlates to their market value. These pigments also have a nutritional role in aquaculture where they are routinely added as a marine animal food supplement to ensure fish development and health. However, there is little information about carotenoids obtained from Antarctic bacteria and its use for pigmentation improvement and flesh quality in aquaculture. This study identified carotenoids produced by Antarctic soil bacteria. The pigmented strain (CN7) was isolated on modified Luria–Bertani (LB) media and incubated at 4 °C. This Gram-negative bacillus was identified by 16S rRNA analysis as Flavobacterium segetis. Pigment extract characterization was performed through high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and identification with liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS). HPLC analyses revealed that this bacterium produces several pigments in the carotenoid absorption range (six peaks). LC–MS confirms the presence of one main peak corresponding to lutein or zeaxanthin (an isomer of lutein) and several other carotenoid pigments and intermediaries in a lower quantity. Therefore, we propose CN7 strain as an alternative model to produce beneficial carotenoid pigments with potential nutritional applications in aquaculture.

Overproduction of Xanthophyll Pigment in Flavobacterium sp. JSWR-1 under Optimized Culture Conditions

“…However, this change was not detected by the mass spectral analysis. However, the absorbance spectra in the study revealed a peak at a shorter wavelength, indicating the presence of cis forms [ 20 ]. Nevertheless, the FBC and BC samples displayed the highest values for UV-Vis absorbance spectra at 450, 478 nm, and 428 nm, indicating the existence of zeaxanthin in its all-trans form in the extracts.…”

“…Accumulating stress-induced carotenoids is advantageous for synthesizing the required carotenoids [ 17 ]. Previous studies have shown the impact of temperature, salinity, light, and pH on some bacterial species' carotenogenesis and related metabolic pathways [ 18 - 20 ]. The main objective of the current investigation is to examine the prevalence of xanthophyll pigment overproduction in a newly identified bacterial species.…”

Extended ozone depletion and reduced snow and ice cover—Consequences for Antarctic biota

“…Studies have also shown that some Antarctic microorganisms are capable of tolerating or even utilizing UV radiation to their advantage by developing mechanisms to repair DNA damage, produce protective compounds, and by forming UV-protective biofilms (George et al, 2001;Pradel et al, 2021;Reis-Mansur et al, 2019;Rusinova-Videva et al, 2022;Won Hong et al, 2013).…”