Effect of the Light on Carotenoid Profiles of Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous Strains (formerly Phaffia rhodozyma)

Manuel Vázquez

Departamento de Química Analítica. Área Tecnología de Alimentos Universidad de Santiago de Compostela (Campus de Lugo) Escuela Politécnica Superior, 27002 Lugo, Spain

Article history:
Received January 17, 2001
Accepted May 2, 2001

Key words:
carotenogenesis, astaxanthin, 3-hydroxy-3´,4´-didehydro-β
-ψ-caroten-4-one, Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous

Summary:
The influence of the light on the carotenogenesis in 6 strains (ATCC 24202, ATCC 24203, ATCC 24228, ATCC 24229, ATCC 24261 and NRRL Y-10921) of Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous (formerly Phaffia rhodozyma) grown on media containing xylose was studied. Carotenoids produced in the light or in the dark were extracted from the biomass, identified and quantified by HPLC with diode-array detection. All strains produced greater amounts of carotenoids in the light than in the dark. However, the production of these carotenoids does not follow the same pattern. The strain ATCC 24228 produced more total carotenoids and astaxanthin (2.45 mg/L and 2.13 mg/L, respectively) if grown in the light. In darkness, the strains ATCC 24203 and ATCC 24229 produced a carotenoid, 3-hydroxy-3´,4´-didehydro-β
-ψ-caroten-4-one (HDCO), that was not produced when grown in the light. HDCO was not produced either in the light or in the dark by the other strains studied.

*Corresponding author:           vazquezm@lugo.usc.es
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