1.Production of pigments by Rhodotorula mucilaginosa
Wai Xian Lau ; Octavio Carvajal-Zarrabal ; Cirilo Nolasco-Hipó ; lito ; Mizuno Kohei ; Zayn Al-Abideen Gregory ; Mohammad Omar Abdullah ; Seng Chiew Toh ; Samuel Lihan
Malaysian Journal of Microbiology 2018;14(4):344-350
Aims:
Pigments have a large and growing market in the world. Drawbacks in their production such as raw materials availability and low productivity prompt the search for fermentation routes for industrial production. A carotenoid-producing yeast identified as Rhodotorula mucilaginosa was isolated in our laboratory. The aim of this study was to investigate the growth and carotenoid production capacity of the yeast.
Methodology and results:
A cost-effective substrate of sago starch hydrolysate (SSH) derived from sago fiber waste was used for the fermentation. The fermentation was carried out for 96 h at 27 °C in batch mode. The biomass produced during 5 days of fermentation was 9.6 g/L, which contained a carotenoid concentration of 8.1 mg/L and a specific yield of 845.9 g/g.
Conclusion, significance and impact of study
The results demonstrated the capacity of R. mucilaginosa yeast to produce carotenoids and its potential for larger-scale production.