Abstract:

Pigments were extracted by breaking down cultured cells of carotenoid-accumulating Sporobolomyces pararoseus(named as NGR) isolated from strawberry fruit using dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). Three major carotenoids produced by thewild-type strain NGR of Sporobolomyces pararoseus, β-carotene, torulene and torularhodin, were identified by thin-layerchromatography (TLC), UV spectrophotometry and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) by comparison withpigments from R. glutinis NBRC 1125T and S. pararoseus CBS 0376T and β-carotene standard. Torulene and β-carotenealong with its deduced isomer 13-trans-β-carotene were found to be the most abundant carotenoids (653.22 and 635.10 μg/g,respectively) in S. pararoseus NGR, followed by torularodin (150.37 μg/g). Y9 was a UV-induced mutant of the wild-typestrain NGR which accumulated more β-carotene (accounting for 54% of the total carotenoids) than the original strain. W1was a pink β-carotene deficient mutant which reduced the accumulation of torularhodin and torulene. W4 was an albino.When cultivated in yeast culture medium (YPD), the wild-type strain NGR accumulated 1 438.69 μg/g total pigments.

Key words: Sporobolomyces pararoseus, carotenoid, identification