OPTIMIZING TEMPERATURE AND ILLUMINATION FOR ENHANCED ASTAXANTHIN PRODUCTION BY STRAINS OF P. RHODOZYMA

Abstract

Astaxanthin (AST) is an industrially valuable carotenoid renowned for its exceptional antioxidant activity as well as effective pigmentation [1]. It has long been of value in the food and feed industries as a colorant, with a recent upsurge of usage and demand in the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical and cosmetic as accumulating evidence bestow on it an array of biological activities including antidiabetic, cardioprotective, anti-inflammatory as well as immune modulation [2]. Though widely distributed in nature (found in algae, bacteria, yeast, marine organisms and plants), the chemically synthesized variant predominates on the global market due to higher cost and relatively lower productivity associated with natural production [3]. It is in this regard we evaluate temperature and light in an attempt of optimize these factors for higher production of astaxanthin by the red yeast P. rhodozyma strain Y1654 and Y1655.