• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.381-385
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• 2006

The production of astaxanthin by Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous mutant depended on the culture conditions. Therefore, a cultivation strategy, including effective chemical and light induction, for the high-level production of astaxanthin by X. dendrorhous mutant JH1 was explored. Effective chemicals such as ethanol, acetic acid, and hydrogen peroxide, which are known inducers or precursors of astaxanthin synthesis, were investigated for their increase of astaxanthin production. Each of 1.0% ethanol, 1.0% acetic acid, and 1.0% hydrogen peroxide increased the astaxanthin concentration to 49.77 mg/l, 46.33 mg/l, and 45.61 mg/l, respectively. Among these chemicals, 1.0% ethanol showed the best effect on increasing astaxanthin concentration after 48 h of cultivation. Under 1.0% ethanol feeding condition, high light intensity (2,400 lux) stimulated astaxanthin production to 59.67 mg/l, compared with that in the dark-grown cultivation.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.472-477
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• 2004

To improve biomass and astaxanthin production by wild-type Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous simultaneously in shake flask culture, physical factors, nutritional factors and carotenogenesis stimulating factors affecting astaxanthin production were studied on base of HPLC quantitative analysis. The results suggested that carotenogenesis precursor composition acetic acid, mevalonic acid, tomato extract, and carrot extract could increase the productivity of astaxanthin markedly based on the optimized temperature, initial pH value, carbon and nitrogen sources conditions.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.128-132
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• 2007

The red yeast Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous (previously named Phaffia rhodozyma) produces astaxanthin pigment among many carotenoids. The mutant X. dendrorhous G276 was isolated by chemical mutagenesis. The mutant produced about 2.0 mg of carotenoid per g of yeast cell dry weight and 8.0 mg/L of carotenoid after 5 days batch culture with YM media; in comparison, the parent strain produced 0.66 mg/g of yeast cell dry weight and a carotenoid concentration of 4.5 mg/L. We characterized the utilization of carbon sources by the mutant strain and screened various edible plant extracts to enhance the carotenoid production. The addition of Perilla frutescens (final concentration, 5%) or Allium fistulosum extracts (final concentration, 1%) enhanced the pigment production to about 32 mg/L. In a batch fermentor, addition of Perilla frutescens extract reduced the cultivation time by two days compared to control (no extract), which usually required five-day incubation to fully produce astaxanthin. The results suggest that plant extracts such as Perilla frutescens can effectively enhance astaxanthin production.

• 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.17 no.5
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• pp.847-852
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• 2007

This study investigated an efficient method for the extraction of astaxanthin from the red yeast Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous. The extraction process comprised three steps: 1) cultivating the yeast; 2) treating the yeast culture suspension with microwaves to destroy the cell walls and microbodies; and 3) drying the yeast and extracting the astaxanthin pigment using ethanol, methanol, acetone, or a mixture of the three as the extraction solvent. Ultimately, various treatment tests were performed to determine the conditions for optimal pigment extraction, and the total carotenoid and astaxanthin contents were quantified. A frequency of 2,450 MHz, an output of 500 watts, and irradiation time of 60 s were the most optimum conditions for yeast cell wall destruction. Furthermore, optimal pigment extraction occurred when using a cell density of 10g/l at $30^{\circ}C$ over 24 h, with a 10% volume of ethanol.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.506-510
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• 2006

To be used as a source of astaxanthin by animals, the red yeast Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous needs to be dried and the cell wall ruptured. Spray-drying and flat-roller milling successfully prepared the yeast as a feed additive with little loss of astaxanthin. Spray-drying successfully dried the yeast with negligible decomposition of astaxanthin compared to drum-drying. By repeated milling with a flat-roller mill, astaxanthin extracted with ethanol increased from 0.01 to 1.31 mg astaxanthin/g yeast. This method did not decompose astaxanthin in contrast to chemical digestion of the cell wall. Flat-roller milling effectively flattened and cracked the dried cells. Astaxanthin in yeast prepared by spray-drying and flat-roller milling was well absorbed by animals. Specifically, when spray-dried and milled yeast was supplied in the feed (40 mg astaxanthin/kg feed), astaxanthin was successfully absorbed (1,500 ng/mL blood and 1,100 ng/g skin) by laying hens.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.438-442
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• 2006

The formation of astaxanthin by Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous mutant JH1 depends on the culture conditions. Therefore, the effects of inoculation rate (1-5%, v/v) and medium compositions (various carbon and nitrogen sources) on cell growth and astaxanthin formation in X. dendrorhous mutant JH1 were investigated. Inoculation at 3% (v/v) was optimal for cell growth and astaxanthin formation. The most effective carbon source for cell growth and astaxanthin formation was glucose, and the best nitrogen source was yeast extract. The 3% (w/v) glucose and 0.2% (w/v) yeast extract showed the best effect on cell growth and astaxanthin formation, compared with others tested. The 3% glucose, 0.2% yeast extract, $0.15%\;KH_{2}PO_{4}$, $0.05%\;MgSO_4$, $0.01%\;MnSO_4$, and $0.01%\;CaCl_2$ were selected for cell growth and astaxanthin formation. Under the conditions selected, the maximum concentrations of cell and astaxanthin obtained after 168 h of cultivation were 5.43 g/l and 28.20 mg/l, respectively.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.110-115
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• 1996

Yellow mutants of the astaxanthin producing red yeast Phaffia rhodozyma were obtained by nitrosoguanidine mutagenesis. The carotenoid composition of the yelow mutants, Yan-1 and Ny-1, was mainly $\beta$ -carotene (> 95$%$) and torulene (< 5$$). Therefore, the yellow mutants are carotene oxygenation deficient mutants (CODMs). CODMs produced decreased quantities of carotenoids compared to their red parents and this indicated that carotene may regulate its synthesis. CODMs, Yan-1 and Ny-4, on plates containing 50 $\mu$ M antimycin, showed highly pigmented vertical papillae. Antimycin-induced mutants purified from the papillae showed increases in carotenoid content (up to 1 mg $\beta$-carotene/g yeast). CODMs, Yan-1 and Ay-1, were more sensitive to antimycin than red strains, Ant-1 and 67-385. This was probably due to lower antioxidant activity of $\beta$-carotene than that of astaxanthin. Light increased torulene and light+antimycin further increased the torulene. Yan-1 and Ny-4 could grow with succinate, though their red parents, Ant-1 and Anf-1p, could not. However, antimycin induced mutation of Yan-1 or Ny-4 destroyed the ability to grow with succinate.

• 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.15 no.3
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• pp.633-639
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• 2005

Frequently used for humans as a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, naproxen has been known to induce ulcerative gastric lesions. The present study was undertaken to investigate the in vivo therapeutic effect of astaxanthin, isolated from a Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous mutant, against naproxen-induced gastric antral ulceration in rats. The rats were treated with three doses of astaxanthin [1, 5, and 25 mg/kg body weight (B.W.), respectively] once daily for 2 weeks after pretreatment of 80 mg of naproxen/kg B.W. twice daily for 3 days, while the control rats received only 80 mg of naproxen/kg B.W. twice daily for 3 days. The oral administration of astaxanthin (1,5, and 25 mg/kg B.W.) showed a curative effect against naproxen (80 mg/kg B.W.)-induced gastric antral ulcer and reduced the elevated lipid peroxide level in gastric mucosa. In addition, astaxanthin treatment resulted in significant increase in the activities of radical scavenging enzymes such as superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase. A histologic examination clearly proved that acute gastric mucosal lesion induced by naproxen nearly disappeared after the astaxanthin treatment. These results suggest that astaxanthin eliminated the lipid peroxides and free radicals induced by naproxen and may be a potential candidate for remedy of gastric ulceration.