Astaxanthin

Influence of culture conditions of Gordonia jacobaea MV-26 on canthaxanthin production.

Veiga-Crespo P, Blasco L, Rosa-Dos-Santos F, Poza M, Villa TG.

Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain.

Commercial interest in the use of natural pigments isolated from microorganisms has increased in recent years; hence, molecules belonging to the polyisoprenoid group (i.e. beta-carotene, astaxanthin, and canthaxanthin) have been the focus of much attention. The bacterium Gordonia jacobaea readily synthesizes and accumulates large amounts of canthaxanthin (beta-beta'-carotene-4,4'-dione), which is widely used in the food and cosmetics industries. In the present work, the effects of different low-cost raw materials on fermentation and canthaxanthin accumulation by a hyperpigmented strain of G. jacobaea were studied. Canthaxanthin production and peak levels of accumulation varied according to the different media used.

PMID: 15906262 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]