Effect of illumination intensities on astaxanthin synthesis by Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous and its mutants (original) (raw)

2013, Food Science and Biotechnology

The aim of the study was to select optimal illumination for Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous DSM 5626 and its mutants: 26UV, 10BE, 13B, and 34B for astaxanthin production. The strains were cultivated on YM medium at an illumination of 0-5,000 lx. The highest yields of astaxanthin were found in cultures at 600 lx. The maximum pigment production for the parental strain was 0.95 mg/L and 0.19 g/kg dry cell weight (DCW), while for mutants 1.23-1.51 mg/L and 0.34-0.39 g/kg DCW. It was calculated that the application of adequate values of illumination (within the range of 670-718 lx), determined on the basis of regression models, may improve astaxanthin production by approximately 5-15%, depending on the strain. This was confirmed in the verification experiments for the parental strain and mutants: 10BE, 13B, 26UV, but for 34B at 718 lx the volumetric astaxanthin production was found to be higher than predicted by the model.