title: Carotenoid profiles of yeasts belonging to the genera Rhodotorula, Rhodosporidium, Sporobolomyces, and Sporidiobolus.
abstract: Eighteen yeast species of the genera Rhodotorula, Rhodosporidium, Sporobolomyces, and Sporidiobolus, each one represented by its type strain, were investigated with the objective of evaluating their carotenoid composition. The pigments were extracted from yeast cells, quantified by high pressure liquid chromatography diode array detector and the main compounds were confirmed by atmospheric pressure chemical ionization quadrupole mass spectrometry. Significant (P < 0.01) differences among several species and (or) genera were observed. Thirteen strains were seen to be able to produce carotenoids, from 16.4 to 184 microg/g cell dry mass and from 6.0 to 1993.4 microg/L culture. The main carotenoids produced were identified as torularhodin, torulene, gamma-carotene, and beta-carotene. The correlation matrix calculated on the basis of the carotenoid composition data matrix indicated significant (P < 0.01) relationships between torulene and torularhodin (r = 0.81), gamma-carotene and torulene (r = 0.49), beta-carotene and torulene (r = -0.72), as well as beta-carotene and gamma-carotene (r = 0.64). These significant correlation coefficients may suggest that species belonging to the genera Rhodosporidium, Sporobolomyces, and Sporidiobolus possess a carotenoid biosynthetic pathway analogous to that elsewhere postulated for Rhodotorula species.
authors: Dipartimento di Biologia Vegetale e Biotecnologie Agroambientali, Sezione di Microbiologia Applicata, Università di Perugia, Borgo XX Giugno 74, 06121 Perugia, Italy. pbuzzini@unipg.it
authors: Pietro
authors: P
authors: Buzzini
authors: Marzia
authors: M
authors: Innocenti
authors: Benedetta
authors: B
authors: Turchetti
authors: Diego
authors: D
authors: Libkind
authors: Maria
authors: M
authors: van Broock
authors: Nadia
authors: N
authors: Mulinacci
mesh_terms: D001487:Basidiomycota / Q000378:metabolism; D002338:Carotenoids / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D012248:Rhodotorula / Q000378:metabolism; D015003:Yeasts / Q000378:metabolism*; D019207:beta Carotene / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D019207:beta Carotene; D002338:Carotenoids; C078922:torulene; C078923:torularhodin