• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.17 no.9
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• pp.1309-1314
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• 2004

The red carotenoid, astaxanthin was studied to improve the meat quality of broiler chickens. Astaxanthin pigmented chickens and delayed oxidation of lipid in them. Two sources of astaxanthin were used to pigment broiler chickens in a five-wk feeding trial: biological astaxanthin (BA) from the red yeast, Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous, and chemical astaxanthin (CA) from chemical synthesis. The concentrations of CA (45 mg/kg feed) and BA (22.5 mg/kg feed) were set to give similar levels of pigmentation. The colorimetric values (a and b) of breast muscles were significantly changed by astaxanthin (p${\leq}$0.01). Absorption and accumulation of BA were higher than those of CA, probably due to the high contents of lipids in the yeast (17%). Lipid peroxide formation in skin was significantly decreased by astaxanthin (p${\leq}$0.05). This result indicated that the production of lipid peroxides in the carcasses of broiler chickens during storage could be delayed by astaxanthin. Therefore, astaxanthin could be used as an antioxidant as well as a colorant for broiler chickens.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.687-691
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• 2003

Whole-cell immobilization of the hydrocarbon rich microalgae, Botryococcus braunii and B. protuberans, in alginate beads under air-lift batch cultures resulted in a significant increase in chlorophyll, carotenoid, dry weight, and 1ipid contents at stationary and resting growth phases, as compared to free cells. Photosynthetic activity in both the species, of Botryococcus was enhanced, relative to free cells, at any growth phase of cultures. Immobilization exerted a protective influence on ageing of the cultures as reflected by higher chlorophyll and dry weight contents. Entrapment also stabilized the chlorophyll and carotenoid contents even at stationary and resting phases as compared to free cells in both the species.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.414-419
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• 2007

Botryococcus braunii is a green colonial fresh water microalga and it is recognized as one of the renewable resources for production of liquid hydrocarbons. CFTRI-Bb-l and CFTRI-Bb-2 have been reported for the first time and their performance with regard to growth and biochemical profile is presented here. The present study focused on effect of carbon dioxide $(CO_2)$ on biomass, hydrocarbon, carbohydrate production, fatty acid profile, and carotenoid content in various species of B. braunii (LB-572, SAG 30.81, MCRC-Bb, N-836, CFTRI-Bb-l, and CFTRI-Bb-2) at 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0% (v/v) levels using a two-tier flask. $CO_2$ at 2.0% (v/v) level enhanced growth of the organism, and a two-fold increase in biomass and carotenoid contents was observed in all the B. braunii strains studied compared with control culture (without $CO_2$ supplementation). At 1 % and 2% (v/v) $CO_2$ concentrations, palmitic acid and oleic acid levels increased by 2.5 to 3 folds in one of the strains of B. braunii (LB-572). Hydrocarbon content was found to be above 20% at 2% $CO_2$ level in the B. braunii LB-572, CFTRI-Bb-2, CFTRI-Bb-l, and N-836 strains, whereas it was less than 20% in the SAG 30.81 and MCRC-Bb strains compared with control culture. This culture methodology will provide information on $CO_2$ requirement for growth of algae and metabolite production. B. braunii spp. can be grown at the tested levels of $CO_2$ concentration without much influence on culture pH.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.24 no.8
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• pp.1034-1043
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• 2014

This study determined the effect of light intensity and photoperiod on the dry cell weight and total amount of carotenoids in four isolates of purple non-sulfur bacteria obtained from shaded and exposed microhabitats of a mangrove ecosystem in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia. The initial isolation of the bacteria was carried out using synthetic 112 medium under anaerobic conditions (2.5 klx) at $30{\pm}2^{\circ}C$. On the basis of colony appearance, cell morphology, gram staining, motility test, and 16S rRNA gene sequencing analyses, all four bacteria were identified as Afifella marina. One of the bacterial isolates, designated as Af. marina strain ME, which was extracted from an exposed mud habitat within the mangrove ecosystem, showed the highest yield in dry cell weight ($4.32{\pm}0.03g/l$) as well as total carotenoids ($0.783{\pm}0.002mg/g$ dry cell weight). These values were significantly higher than those for dry cell weight ($3.77{\pm}0.02g/l$) and total carotenoid content ($0.706{\pm}0.008mg/g$) produced by the isolates from shaded habitats. Further analysis of the effect of 10 levels of light intensity on the growth characteristics of Af. marina strain ME showed that the optimum production of dry cell weight and total carotenoids was achieved at different light intensities and incubation periods. The bacterium produced the highest dry cell weight of 4.98 g/l at 3 klx in 72 h incubation, but the carotenoid production of 0.783 mg/g was achieved at 2.5 klx in 48 h incubation. Subsequent analysis of the effect of photoperiod on the production of dry cell weight and total carotenoids at optimum light intensities (3 and 2.5 klx, respectively) revealed that 18 and 24 h were the optimum photoperiods for the production of dry cell weight and total carotenoids, respectively. The unique growth characteristics of the Af. marina strain ME can be exploited for biotechnology applications.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.7
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• pp.1221-1225
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• 2007

A ${\beta}$-ionone-resistant mutant strain isolated from the red yeast Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous KCTC 7704 was used for batch and continuous fermentation kinetic studies with glucose media in a 2.5-1 jar fermentor at $22^{\circ}C$ and pH 4.5. The kinetic pattern of growth and carotenoid concentration in the batch fermentations exhibited a so-called mixed-growth-associated product formation, possibly due to the fact that the content of intracellular carotenoids depends on the degree of physical maturation toward adulthood. To determine the maximum specific growth rate constant (${\mu}_m$) and Monod constant ($K_s$) for the mutant, glucose-limited continuous culture studies were performed at different dilution rates within a range of $0.02-0.10\;h^{-1}$. A reciprocal plot of the steady-state data (viz., reciprocal of glucose concentration versus residence time) obtained from continuous culture experiments was used to estimate a ${\mu}_m$ of $0.15\;h^{-1}$ and $k_s$ of 1.19 g/l. The carotenoid content related to the residence time appeared to assume a typical form of saturation kinetics. The maximum carotenoid content ($X_m$) for the mutant was estimated to be $1.04\;{\mu}g/mg$ dry cell weight, and the Lee constant ($k_m$), which was tentatively defined in this work, was found to be 3.0 h.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.63-69
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• 2021

Carotenoids, which have biologically beneficial effects and occur naturally in microorganisms and plants, are pigments widely applied in the food, cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries. The compound 4,4'-diaponeurosporene is a C30 carotenoid produced by some Lactobacillus species, and Lactobacillus plantarum is the main species producing it. In this study, the antioxidant activity of 4,4'-diaponeurosporene extracted from L. plantarum subsp. plantarum KCCP11226 was examined. Maximum carotenoid content (0.74 ± 0.2 at A470) was obtained at a relatively low temperature (20℃). The DPPH radical scavenging ability of 4,4'-diaponeurosporene (1 mM) was approximately 1.7-fold higher than that of butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), a well-known antioxidant food additive. In addition, the ABTS radical scavenging ability was shown to be 2.3- to 7.5-fold higher than that of BHT at the range of concentration from 0.25 mM to 1 mM. The FRAP analysis confirmed that 4,4'-diaponeurosporene (0.25 mM) was able to reduce Fe3+ by 8.0-fold higher than that of BHT. Meanwhile, 4,4'-diaponeurosporene has been confirmed to be highly resistant to various external stresses (acid/bile, high temperature, and lysozyme conditions). In conclusion, L. plantarum subsp. plantarum KCCP11226, which produces 4,4'-diaponeurosporene as a functional antioxidant, may be a potentially useful strain for the development of functional probiotic industries.

• ALGAE
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.3-20
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• 2011

The physiology of the unicellular green alga Dunaliella salina in response to abiotic stress has been studied for several decades. Early D. salina research focused on its remarkable salinity tolerance and ability, upon exposure to various abiotic stresses, to accumulate high concentrations of $\beta$-carotene and other carotenoid pigments valued highly as nutraceuticals. The simple life cycle and growth requirements of D. salina make this organism one of the large-scale commercially exploited microalgae for natural carotenoids. Recent advances in genomics and proteomics now allow investigation of abiotic stress responses at the molecular level. Detailed knowledge of isoprenoid biosynthesis mechanisms and the development of molecular tools and techniques for D. salina will allow the improvement of physiological characteristics of algal strains and the use of transgenic algae in bioreactors. Here we review D. salina isoprenoid and carotenoid biosynthesis regulation, and also the biotechnological and genetic transformation procedures developed for this alga that set the stage for its future use as a production system.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.30 no.12
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• pp.1937-1943
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• 2020

Although classical metabolic engineering strategies have succeeded in developing microbial strains capable of producing desired bioproducts, metabolic imbalance resulting from extensive genetic manipulation often leads to decreased productivity. Thus, abiotic strategies for improving microbial production performance can be an alternative to overcome drawbacks arising from intensive metabolic engineering. Herein, we report a promising abiotic method for enhancing lycopene production by UV-C irradiation using a radiation-resistant ΔcrtLm/crtB+dxs+ Deinococcus radiodurans R1 strain. First, the onset of UV irradiation was determined through analysis of the expression of 11 genes mainly involved in the carotenoid biosynthetic pathway in the ΔcrtLm/crtB+dxs+ D. radiodurans R1 strain. Second, the effects of different UV wavelengths (UV-A, UV-B, and UV-C) on lycopene production were investigated. UV-C irradiation induced the highest production, resulting in a 69.9% increase in lycopene content [64.2 ± 3.2 mg/g dry cell weight (DCW)]. Extended UV-C irradiation further enhanced lycopene content up to 73.9 ± 2.3 mg/g DCW, a 95.5% increase compared to production without UV-C irradiation (37.8 ± 0.7 mg/g DCW).

• ALGAE
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.317-329
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• 2022

Carotenoids are effective antioxidants that are found in various photosynthetic organisms. Marine microalgae are an advantageous bioresource for carotenoid production because they do not compete with other crops for freshwater and arable land. This study reports a newly isolated Dunaliella strain from the Geumhong Saltpan on Yeongjong Island, West Sea, Korea. The new strain was isolated and classified as Dunaliella salina through phylogenetic analysis and was named the OH214 strain (Deposit ID: KCTC14434BP). The newly isolated strain can survive in a wide range of NaCl concentrations (0.3-5.0 M NaCl), but grows well in 0.6 to 1.5 M NaCl culture medium. Under high-light conditions (500 ± 10 μmol photons m^-2 s^-1), the cells accumulated three times more β-carotene than under low-light conditions (50 ± 5 μmol photons m^-2 s^-1). The cells accumulated 2.5-fold more β-carotene under nitrogen-deficient (1 mM KNO₃) conditions (3.24 ± 0.36 ㎍ 10⁶ cells^-1) than in nitrogen-sufficient conditions (>5 mM KNO₃). The lutein content under nitrogen-deficient conditions (1.73 ± 0.09 ㎍ 10⁶ cells^-1) was more than 24% higher than that under nitrogen-sufficient conditions. Under the optimized culture condition for carotenoid induction using natural seawater, D. salina OH214 strain produced 7.97 ± 0.09 mg g DCW^-1 of β-carotene and 4.65 ± 0.18 mg g DCW^-1 of lutein, respectively. We propose that this new microalga is a promising strain for the simultaneous production of β-carotene and lutein.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.201-207
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• 2000

The freshwater green alga Chlorococcum sp. grew on NH_4^{+},{\;}NO_3^{-}$, urea, yeast extract, and peptone as the nitrogen source showing similar pattens of growth and secondary carotenoid (SC) production. However, the most suitable nitrogen source for the induction fo SC was urea. The dffects of nutrient levels (urea, phosphate, sulfate, ferrous iron, and salt) on growth and SC production were stydied by varying the concentration of each nutrient in batch cultures. High biomass production was achieved in cultures containing 20-28 mM urea, 4.8-10 mM phosphate, 1.6 mM sulfate, 70 mM phosphate, 1.6 mM sulfate, 170 mM NACl, and $50{\;}\mu\textrm{M}$ iron. The optimum concentrations of nutrients for biomass and for the SC accumulation in biomass were evaluated and the two media for achieving high biomass production and SC production were thus developed. The extent to which each parameter to stimulate the formation of SC in the alga were varied and the potentially improned SC prodution by manipulating the nutrient levels in the modified media were descussed.