Agro-industrial orange waste as a low cost substrate for carotenoids production by Rhodotorula Mucilagenosa

Abstract EN

Carotenoids have many important biological activities, which can be used as food colorants and as a natural antioxidant pigments.

A local yeast strain was isolated from karish cheese and identified as R.

mucilagenosa.

The efficiency of carotenoids production by R.

mucilagenosa was tested by using orange waste extract (OWE) as an agro-industrial waste to minimize carotenoids production cost.

To optimize the fermentation conditions, OWE medium was supplemented with different carbon and nitrogen sources at concentration 1% and 1-6% NaCl.

The highest carotenoids production and cell dry weight (7.2 mg/l and 13.75 g/l respectively) were obtained with OWE medium supplemented with 1% glucose, 1% yeast extract and 1% NaCl, at optimal pH 6, temperature 25°C and shaking at 150 rpm for five days.