Sborník abstraktů 2010 - Fakulta chemická - Vysoké učení technické ...

Carotenoids production by yeasts
cultivated on waste substrates
Ing. Terezie Dvořáková
Doc. RNDr. Ivana Márová, CSc.(supervizor)
Brno University of Technology, Faculty of Chemistry
Purkyňova 118, 612 00 Brno
xcdvorakovat@fch.vutbr.cz
@fch.vutbr.cz fch.vutbr.cz
Carotenoids represent a group of interesting molecules with coloring, antioxidant
and possible anti-cancer activity. These yellow to red pigments found application
in the pharmaceutical, medical, chemical, cosmetic, food and feed industries.
Animals including people cannot synthesize carotenoids and these pigments must
be therefore added to their foods. The synthesis of different natural commercially
important carotenoids (β-carotene, torulene, astaxanthin) by several yeasts species
belonging to the genera Rhodotorula, Sporobolomyces and Cystofilobasidium has led to
consider these microorganisms as a potentially useful sources of industrial pigment.
Commercial production of the carotenoids using yeasts is highly efficient because
they are easily manipulated in the processing schemes. Improving the properties
of yeast strains, and optimizing the overproduction of metabolites in combination
with inexpensive carbon sources will be improved biosynthesis of carotenoids,
which will then become more efficient and economical. Agricultural and industrial
intermediates and waste products contain a sufficient quantity of sugars, which
can be conveniently converted into chemical compounds suitable for application
in the food and pharmaceutical industries through microbial biotechnology, which
also reduces the load on the environment. In this work we discuss the carotenoids
production by different yeast strains cultivated at optimal growth conditions and in
medium with modified nutrient sources using various waste substrates.
Keywords: carotenoids, yeasts, waste substrates