Production of red pigment by submerged culture of Paecilomyces sinclairii.
OBJECTIVE
From a survey of submerged culture of edible mushrooms, a high pigment-producing fungus Paecilomyces sinclairii was selected and its optimal culture conditions investigated.


RESULTS
The optimal culture conditions for pigment production were as follows: inoculum age, 3 d; temperature, 25 degrees C; initial pH, 6.0; carbon source, 1.5% (w/v) soluble starch; nitrogen source, 1.5% (w/v) meat peptone. Although addition of 10 mmol l(-1) CaCl2 to the culture medium slightly increased pigment production, most of the bio-elements examined had no notable or detrimental effect on pigment production.


CONCLUSIONS
Under the optimal conditions obtained in the flask culture tested, a ninefold increase in pigment production (4.4 g l(-1)) was achieved using a 5(-l) batch fermenter. Paecilomyces sinclairii secreted water-soluble red pigment into the culture medium. The pigment colour was strongly dependent on the pH of the solution: red at pH 3-4, violet at pH 5-9 and pink at pH 10-12.


CONCLUSIONS
The high concentration of pigment (4.4 g l(-1)) produced by P. sinclairii demonstrates the possibility of commercial production of pigment by this strain, considering its relatively high production yield and light stability.
Department of Biotechnology, Taegu University, Kyungsan, Kyungbuk, Korea.
Y J
YJ
Cho
J P
JP
Park
H J
HJ
Hwang
S W
SW
Kim
J W
JW
Choi
J W
JW
Yun
D019149:Bioreactors; D001709:Biotechnology; D002244:Carbon / Q000378:metabolism; D003470:Culture Media; D005285:Fermentation; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D025282:Mycelium / Q000254:growth & development; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000378:metabolism; D010143:Paecilomyces / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D010860:Pigments, Biological / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D013696:Temperature
D003470:Culture Media; D010860:Pigments, Biological; D002244:Carbon; D009584:Nitrogen