Astaxanthin production by a green alga, Haematococcus pluvialis accompanied with morphological changes in acetate media

Two acetate containing media were developed for astaxanthin production by a green unicellular alga, Haematococcus pluvialis. The basal medium, a vegetative growth medium facilitated the algal cell growth, whereas the modified medium was likely to induce morphological changes with the formation of large cysts and bleached cells which seemed to consequently enhance the carotenoid biosynthesis. In the two-stage culture, the injection of ferrous ion with acetate into the basal medium on the fourth day, was greatly stimulative for both the algal cell growth and the astaxanthin formation at a high light intensity. In addition, carotenoid precursors, mevalonate and pyruvate were effective on the carotenoid formation in the modified medium. Pyruvate was an especially good carbon source both for the algal cell growth and the carotenoid synthesis.

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