• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.28 no.12
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• pp.2019-2028
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• 2018

Natural astaxanthin mainly derives from a microalgae producer, Haematococcus pluvialis. The induction of nitrogen starvation and high light intensity is particularly significant for boosting astaxanthin production. However, the different responses to light intensity and nitrogen starvation needed to be analyzed for biomass growth and astaxanthin accumulation. The results showed that the highest level of astaxanthin production was achieved in nitrogen starvation, and was 1.64 times higher than the control group at 11 days. With regard to the optimization of light intensity utilization, it was at $200{\mu}mo/m^2/s$ under nitrogen starvation that the highest astaxanthin productivity per light intensity was achieved. In addition, both high light intensity and a nitrogen source had significant effects on multiple indicators. For example, high light intensity had a greater significant effect than a nitrogen source on biomass dry weight, astaxanthin yield and astaxanthin productivity; in contrast, nitrogen starvation was more beneficial for enhancing astaxanthin content per dry weight biomass. The data indicate that high light intensity synergizes with nitrogen starvation to stimulate the biosynthesis of astaxanthin.

• ALGAE
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.193-202
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• 2013

Nitrogen availability and cell density each affects growth and cellular astaxanthin content of Haematococcus pluvialis, but possible combined effects of these two factors on the content and productivity of astaxanthin, especially under outdoor culture conditions, is less understood. In this study, the effects of the initial biomass densities IBDs of 0.1, 0.5, 0.8, 1.5, 2.7, 3.5, and 5.0 g $L^{-1}$ DW and initial nitrogen concentrations of 0, 4.4, 8.8, and 17.6 mM nitrate on growth and cellular astaxanthin content of H. pluvialis Flotow K-0084 were investigated in outdoor glass column photobioreactors in a batch culture mode. A low IBD of 0.1 g $L^{-1}$ DW led to photo-bleaching of the culture within 1-2 days. When the IBD was 0.5 g $L^{-1}$ and above, the rate at which the increase in biomass density and the astaxanthin content on a per cell basis was higher at lower IBD. When the IBD was optimal (i.e., 0.8 g $L^{-1}$), the maximum astaxanthin content of 3.8% of DW was obtained in the absence of nitrogen, whereas the maximum astaxanthin productivity of 16.0 mg $L^{-1}\;d^{-1}$ was obtained in the same IBD culture containing 4.4 mM nitrogen. The strategies for achieving maximum Haematococcus biomass productivity and for maximum cellular astaxanthin content are discussed.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.175-181
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• 2003

The production of a carotenoid astaxanthin, a growth-associated principal pigment, is limited in a batch cultivation, because a high glucose concentration severely inhibits the cell growth and also influences the carotenoid production. Therefore, a fermentation strategy including effective chemicals for the high-level production of cells and astaxanthin by a mutant strain Phaffia rhodozyma AJ-6-1 was developed in a fed-batch culture. First, a production medium for maximizing the cell and astaxanthin yields was formulated and optimized. Using this optimized medium, the highest cell and astaxanthin concentrations obtained were about 38.25 g/1 and 34.77 mg/1, respectively. In addition, an attempt was made to increase the amount of astaxanthin using effective chemicals such as ethanol and acetic acid, which are known at an inducer and/or precursor of carotenoid synthesis. When either 10g/1 ethanol or 5 g/1 acetic acid was added to investigate the resulting astaxanthin content, a relatively high astaxanthin concentration or 45.62 mg/l and 43.87 mg/1, respectively, was obtained, and the cell concentrations also increased slightly under these conditions. Therefore, these results imply that a fed-batch culture of the mutant strain P. rhodozyma AJ-6-1 could be effectively employed in the commercial production of astaxanthin, although the factors affecting the productivity remain to be elucidated.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.26 no.7
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• pp.1285-1289
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• 2016

A split-column photobioreactor (SC-PBR), consisting of two bubble columns with different sizes, was developed to enhance the photon utilization efficiency in an astaxanthin production process from Haematococcus lacustris. Among the two columns, only the smaller column of SC-PBR was illuminated. Astaxanthin productivities and photon efficiencies of the SC-PBRs were compared with a standard bubble-column PBR (BC-PBR). Astaxanthin productivity of SC-PBR was improved by 28%, and the photon utilization efficiencies were 28-366% higher than the original BC-PBR. The results clearly show that the effective light regime of SC-PBR could enhance the production of astaxanthin.

• 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.

• 한국생물공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2002.04a
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• pp.220-223
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• 2002

This study investigated a lab-scale inducing method for efficient astaxanthin accumulation. As a model system. Haematococcus pluvialis was cultivated in 2 liter bubble-column photobioreactors. The astaxanthin - inducing results using high light irradiation were compared with that of the control experiment under standard irradiation (40 ${\mu}E/m^2/s$). After the late linear growth phase (> 20 days). high light energy (230 ${\mu}E/m^2/s$) was supplied to the culture broth for astaxanthin induction. As a result. the dr γ cell weight and the astaxanthin productivity were increased up to 68% and 215%, respectively. higher than those of the control experiment. This result indicates that bubble-column type photobioreactor is a good candidate for mass cultivation of H. pluvialis and high light irradiation is an efficient induction method for astaxanthin accumulation in lab-scale bubble-column photobioreactors.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.46-51
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• 2006

As one of the $CO_2$ reduction strategies, a biological method was proposed to convert $CO_2$ to useful biomass with antioxidant carotenoids by photosynthetic microorganisms. One of the photoautotrophs, Haematococcus pluvialis is a freshwater green microalga and accumulates the secondary carotenoid astaxanthin during induction of green vegetative cells to red cyst cells. In this study, $CO_2$ fixation and astaxanthin production using H. pluvialis was conducted by photoautotrophic culture in the $CO_2$ supplemented photo-incubator. Maximum growth rate of H. pluvialis was obtained at a 5％ $CO_2$ environment on basic N and P conditions of NIES-C medium. The photoautotrophic induction consisted of 5％ $CO_2$ supply and high light illumination promoted astaxanthin synthesis in H. pluvialis, yielding an astaxanthin productivity of $9.6mg/L{\cdot}day$ and a $CO_2$ conversion rate of $27.8mg/L{\cdot}day$ to astaxanthin. From the results the sequential photoautotrophic culture and induction process using H. pluvialis is expecting an alternative $CO_2$ reduction technology with a function of valuable biosubstance production.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.73-80
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• 2005

This study was carried out to investigate the influence of dietary probiotics supplementation contained with astaxanthin synthesizing microorganism 'Phaffia rhodozyma' on the productivity and meat quality of ducks. Growth performance carried out during 45 days for day-old ducks offered in Joowonori incorporated. A total of 150 day-old ducks(cheribery) of mixed sex(M:F=1:1) were allotted into 5 groups. The basal diets were added with low levels of astaxanthin containing probiotics. We investigated mortality, bodyweight, and feed conversion used by growth performance. 45day-old ducks were butchered and carried out nutrients composition analysis, meat quality test, organoleptic examination, fatty acid analysis, cholesterol analysis, storage test, and astaxanthin concentration analysis. Control showed $3.7\%$ mortality and treatments showed $0\%$ mortality. These results showed improvement of immunity, for influence of dietary probiotics supplementation contained with astaxanthin. The control gained 2.68 kg and treatment gained 2.84 kg. The control was 2.15 and treatment was 1.83 for feed conversion. Treatment was increased feed conversion than control as significantly. The results of meat quality test showed that treatment was tender and taste more than control. The results of nutrients composition analysis showed that treatment was produced low fat and high protein meat. Ducks meat of treatments contained higher unsaturated fatty acid and lower cholesterol than control. The case of carotenoids confirmed that astaxanthin and $\beta-carotein$ were accumulated in duck meat.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.136-142
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• 2006

Haematococcus pluvialis is a great producer of astaxanthin (3,3'-dihydroxy-$\beta$,$\beta$-carotene-4,4'-dione). The activities of astaxanthin include potential cancer prevention, immune response enhancement, antioxidant activity, and so on. Nevertheless, it tried to manipulate by mutation for overcoming low growth rate of wild type and limited production of astaxanthin. Mutated colony that is lager and more reddish one than wild type was selected by attempting to expose strains to UV irradiation and to treat chemical such as EMS and colchicines as mutagen. Selected mutants were further screened using inhibitors of the carotenoid biosynthetic pathway. Inhibitors used were nicotine and diphenylamine and both had decreased the survival rate by 40-50%. Among over 50,000 mutant colonies screened, two strains were selected. One selected mutant strain (U15-5) from UV treatment showed 1.68-fold higher total carotenoid contents per cell than that of the wild type strain. On the other hand, the other selected mutant strains (DS, M4-3) from colchicine treatment showed 20$\sim$30% faster cell growth than the wild type strain.

• 한국생물공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2001.11a
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• pp.181-184
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• 2001

The biological fixation of carbon dioxide using microalgae have many advantages over chemicals and remove carbon dioxide simultaneously. A ketocarotenoid astaxanthin is hyper-accumulated in the green freshwater microalga, Haematococcus pluvialis. In the present study, the combine effects of carbon dioxide concentration and light intensity on the growth of H. pluvilais were investigated. The carbon dioxide concentration above 10% caused a severe inhibition and around 5% is optimal for growth. Adaptation to high concentration of carbon dioxide enhanced the $CO_2$ tolerance. Specific growth rate calculated differently based upon cell number or dry weight because of the distinctive life cycle patterns of H. pluvialis : small-sized motile green cell and thick cell walled red cyst cell. Based on the light dependence of H. pluvialis, internally illuminated air-lift photobioreactor was designed and operated. Gradual increase of light supply gave more active growth and more effective productivity of astaxanthin than constant light supply.