METHOD FOR PRODUCING CAROTENOIDS USING SCENEDESMUS OR TETRADESMUS CELLS

摘要

The invention relates to a method for producing carotenoids, such as lutein, canthazanthin, adonixanthin, and astaxanthin. The object of the present invention is to disclose a method wherein carotenoids having a low content of carotenoid esters can be isolated from the biomass with little effort, and is achieved in that a phototropic cultivation of a Scenedesmus or Tetradesmus strain in a suitable mineral salt and medium comprising limited nitrate and phosphate sources is performed for a duration of 10 to 14 days at temperatures from 16 to 35°C in the acidity range from 6 to 8 and an air/CO2 mixture of 2-5% (v/v) and a gassing rate of 2 to 4 vvm, wherein the Scenedesmus or Tetradesmus strain is cultivated, after the conclusion of the pre-cultivation, at an increased chlorine ion concentration in a range from up to 0.3 to 0.5% (w/v) of a medium free of nitrates and phosphates, in a reactor at an increased light intensity of 250 to 400 µE*m-2*s-1, separating cells containing carotenoids having low carotenoid ester content from the culture filtrate, decomposing the separated cells and extracting the carotenoids having lower carotenoid ester content, and the extract is then separated into the fraction containing carotenoids and the fraction containing the residual components of the cell lysate, wherein the individual carotenoids are separated by means of chromatography.