title: Production of red pigments by the insect pathogenic fungus Cordyceps unilateralis BCC 1869.
abstract: Production of red pigments (naphthoquinones) by the insect pathogenic fungus Cordyceps unilateralis BCC 1869 was investigated in this study. Cultivation conditions, including temperature, intitial pH of medium, and aeration, were optimised to improve the yield of total naphthoquinones in shake-flask culture of C. unilateralis. The highest yield of total naphthoquinones (3 g L-1) was obtained from a 28-day culture grown in potato dextrose broth with an initial pH of 7.0, at 28 degrees C with shaking-induced aeration at 200 rpm. An extraction process for isolation of the targeted naphthoquinone, 3,5,8-trihydroxy-6-methoxy-2-(5-oxohexa-1,3-dienyl)-1,4-naphthoquinone (3,5,8-TMON), from a culture of C. unilateralis, was also developed. The yield of 3,5,8-TMON obtained was about 1.2 g L-1 or 40% of total naphthoquinones. The stability of 3,5,8-TMON was very high, even upon exposure to strong sunlight (70,000 lx), high temperature up to 200 degrees C, and acid and alkali solutions at concentrations of 0.1 M.
authors.affiliation: National Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC), National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), Thailand Science Park, 113 Paholyothin Road, Klong 1, Klong Luang Pathumthani, 12120, Thailand.
authors.forename: Panida
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Unagul
authors.forename: Patcharaporn
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wongsa
authors.forename: Prasat
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kittakoop
authors.forename: Sutichai
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Intamas
authors.forename: Prasert
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Srikitikulchai
authors.forename: Morakot
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tanticharoen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D032661:Cordyceps / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D003470:Culture Media; D005285:Fermentation; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D007218:Industrial Microbiology / Q000379:methods; D007313:Insecta / Q000382:microbiology*; D009285:Naphthoquinones / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D010100:Oxygen / Q000494:pharmacology; D010860:Pigments, Biological / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D003470:Culture Media; D009285:Naphthoquinones; D010860:Pigments, Biological; D010100:Oxygen