Processes for in vivo production of astaxanthin and phaffia rhodozyma yeast of enhanced astaxanthin content
AssigneeIgene Biotechnology, Inc.
InventorsEric A. Johnson, David Schreiber, Kwok P. Ho, William T. Hall, Huei-hsiung Yang, Beril Geldiay-Tuncer
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Abstract
An economical process for in vivo production of the pigment astaxanthin, and particularly a process for enhancing astaxanthin content of cultures of microorganisms of genus Phaffia, the process comprising culturing a microorganism of genus Phaffia in a nutrient medium containing an antibiotic, a cytochrome B inhibitor, or a terpenoid synthetic pathway inhibitor, cultivating surviving pigment enhanced microorganisms, and harvesting the yeast.
Claims21
A process for the production of a yeast having a enhanced astaxanthin content, comprising culturing a microorganism of genus Phaffia in a nutrient medium containing at least one of (i) an antibiotic selected from the group consisting of antimycin, tunicamycin, and nystatin, and (ii) mevalonic acid lactone.
A process for the production of a yeast having an enhanced astaxanthin content, comprising subjecting a microorganism of genus Phaffia to growth in the presence of a main respiratory pathway inhibitor under an influence which triggers a secondary respiratory pathway, wherein the main respiratory pathway inhibitor is a member selected from the group consisting of antimycin A, thenoyltrifluoroacetone, cyanide, axide and hydrogen peroxide.
A process for the production of a yeast of P. rhodozyma having an enhanced astaxanthin content comprising including an alternative oxidase system by means of growing the yeast in the presence of a main respiratory pathway inhibitor and in the presence of an agent or under an influence which triggers a secondary respiratory pathway, wherein the main respiratory pathway inhibitor is a member selected from the group consisting of antimycin A, thenoyltrifluoroacetone, cyanide, axide and hydrogen peroxide.
A process for the production of a yeast having an enhanced astaxanthin content, comprising culturing a microorganism of genus Phaffia one or more times in a nutrient medium containing at least one of (i) an antibiotic selected from the group consisting of antimycin, tunicamycin, and nystatin, and (ii) mevalonic acid lactone, cultivating surviving microorganisms exhibiting enhanced pigmentation, harvesting the cultivated yeast, and extracting the astaxanthin.
A process for the production of a yeast having an enhanced astaxanthin content, comprising culturing a microorganism of genus Phaffia in a nutrient medium containing an inhibitor of electron transport which blocks the transfer of electrons from cytochrome b to c in a yeast of genus Phaffia.
A process as in claim 14, wherein said yeast obtained according to claim 30 is further subjected to growth in the presence of a main respiratory pathway inhibitor and in the presence of an agent or under the influence of an environmental condition which triggers a secondary respiratory (oxidative) pathway.
A process for the production of a yeast having an enhanced astaxanthin content, comprising culturing a microorganism of genus Phaffia one or more times in a nutrient medium containing an inhibitor of electron transport which blocks the transfer of electrons from cytochrome b to c in a yeast of genus Phaffia, cultivating surviving microorganisms exhibiting enhanced pigmentation, harvesting the cultivated yeast, and extracting the astaxanthin.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.