CAROTENOID-PRODUCING YEASTS IN THE BRAZILIAN BIODIVERSITY: ISOLATION, IDENTIFICATION AND CULTIVATION IN AGROINDUSTRIAL WASTE

摘要

Different yeast strains from forests located in southern Brazil, with potential to produce carotenoids, were isolated. Three microorganisms were selected as potential carotenoid producers. Sporiodiobolus pararoseus , Rhodotorula mucilaginosa and Pichia fermentans were grown in Yeast Malt (YM) medium and the carotenoids produced identified as cryptoxanthin and β-carotene. In order to reduce production costs, agroindustrial residues were used in the formulation of medium A (parboiled rice water and crude glycerol) and medium B (parboiled rice water and sugar cane molasses). The highest carotenoid production was obtained with S. pararoseus . It reached 905.30 μ gL -1 (122.82 μg g -1 ) in YM medium, 820 μg L -1 (68.04 μg g -1 ) in medium B and 710 μg L -1 (86.46 μg g -1 ) in medium A. R. mucilaginosa exhibited the best performance in medium B (360 μg L -1 and 30.16 μg g -1 ) and a new microorganism - P. fermentans - reached 48% (medium A) and 78% (medium B) of the value found in YM medium. Therefore, the agroindustrial residues under evaluation, which replaced the commonly used nitrogen and carbon sources in culture media, enabled the isolated yeasts to yield carotenoids.