Optimization of acidic extraction of astaxanthin from Phaffia rhodozyma

Optimization of a process for extracting astaxanthin from Phaffia rhodozyma by acidic method was investigated,regarding several extraction factors such as acids,organic solvents,temperature and time. Fractional factorial design,central composite design and response surface methodology were used to derive a statistically optimal model,which corresponded to the following optimal condition: concentration of lactic acid at 5.55 mol/L,ratio of ethanol to yeast dry weight at 20.25 ml/g,tem-perature for cell-disruption at 30 °C,and extraction time for 3 min. Under this condition,astaxanthin and the total carotenoids could be extracted in amounts of 1294.7 μg/g and 1516.0 μg/g,respectively. This acidic method has advantages such as high extraction efficiency,low chemical toxicity and no special requirement of instruments. Therefore,it might be a more feasible and practical method for industrial practice.

Optimization of biotransformation from phytosterol to androstenedione by a mutant Mycobacterium neoaurum ZJUVN-08

Biotransformation of phytosterol(PS) by a newly isolated mutant Mycobacterium neoaurum ZJUVN-08 to produce androstenedione has been investigated in this paper.The parameters of the biotransformation process were optimized using fractional factorial design and response surface methodology.Androstenedione was the sole product in the fermentation broth catalyzed by the mutant M.neoaurum ZJUVN-08 strain.Results showed that molar ratio of hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin(HP-β-CD) to PS and substrate concentrations were the two most significant factors affecting androstenedione production.By analyzing the statistical model of three-dimensional surface plot,the optimal process conditions were observed at 0.1 g/L inducer,pH 7.0,molar ratio of HP-β-CD to PS 1.92:1,8.98 g/L PS,and at 120 h of incubation time.Under these conditions,the maximum androstenedione yield was 5.96 g/L and nearly the same with the non-optimized(5.99 g/L),while the maximum PS conversion rate was 94.69% which increased by 10.66% compared with the non-optimized(84.03%).The predicted optimum conditions from the mathematical model were in agreement with the verification experimental results.It is considered that response surface methodology was a powerful and efficient method to optimize the parameters of PS biotransformation process.

A food-grade industrial arming yeast expressing β-1,3-1,4-glucanase with enhanced thermal stability

The aim of this work was to construct a novel food-grade industrial arming yeast displaying β-1,3-1,4-glucanase and to evaluate the thermal stability of the glucanase for practical application. For this purpose, a bi-directional vector containing galactokinase (GAL1) and phosphoglycerate kinase 1 (PGK1) promoters in different orientations was constructed. The β-1,3-1,4-glucanase gene from Bacillus subtilis was fused to α-agglutinin and expressed under the control of the GAL1 promoter. α-galactosidase induced by the constitutive PGK1 promoter was used as a food-grade selection marker. The feasibility of the α-galactosidase marker was confirmed by the growth of transformants harboring the constructed vector on a medium containing melibiose as a sole carbon source, and by the clear halo around the transformants in Congo-red plates owing to the expression of β-1,3-1,4-glucanase. The analysis of β-1,3-1,4-glucanase activity in cell pellets and in the supernatant of the recombinant yeast strain revealed that β-1,3-1,4-glucanase was successfully displayed on the cell surface of the yeast. The displayed β-1,3-1,4-glucanase activity in the recombinant yeast cells increased immediately after the addition of galactose and reached 45.1 U/ml after 32-h induction. The thermal stability of β-1,3-1,4-glucanase displayed in the recombinant yeast cells was enhanced compared with the free enzyme. These results suggest that the constructed food-grade yeast has the potential to improve the brewing properties of beer.