Isolation and Selection of New Astaxanthin Producing Strains of Phaffia rhodozyma.

MOLINÉ, M; COLABELLA, F; LIBKIND FRATI, DIEGO

Microbial carotenoids: Methods and Protocols, Methods in Molecular Biology Series

Humana Press

Año: 2018; p. 297 - 310

Astaxanthin is a xanthophyll pigment of high economic value for its use asa feeding component in aquaculture. Phaffia rhodozyma (Xanthophyllomycesdendrorhous) is a basidiomycetous fungi able to synthesize astaxanthin as itsmajor carotenoid, the only known yeast species bearing the capability to producethis type of carotenoid and the only tremellomycetes with biotechnologicalapplication. Recently, the habitat and intraspecific variability of this specieshave been found to be wider than previously expected, encouraging the searchfor new wild strains with potential biotechnological applications. Here wedescribe effective procedures for isolation of P. rhodozyma from environmentalsamples, accurate identification of the strains, analysis of their astaxanthincontent, and proper conservation of the isolates.