Botryococcus as an alternative source of carotenoids and its possible applications – an overview |
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Authors: | Ranga Rao Ambati Deepika Gogisetty Ravishankar Aswathnarayana Gokare Sarada Ravi Panduranga Narasimharao Bikkina Yuepeng Su |
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Institution: | 1. Food Science and Technology Programme, Beijing Normal University-Hong Kong Baptist University United International College, Zhuhai, China;2. Estuarine Fisheries Research Institute of Doumen, Zhuhai, China;3. Department of Chemistry, Sri Vivekananda College, Viveka Educational Institutions, Tenali, India;4. Dr. C. D. Sagar Center for Life Sciences, Dayananda Sagar Institutions, Bangalore, India;5. Plant Cell Biotechnology Department, Central Food Technological Research Institute (Constituent Laboratory of Council of Scientific &6. Industrial Research), Mysore, India;7. Regional Centre, Indira Gandhi National Open University, Mumbai, India;8. Estuarine Fisheries Research Institute of Doumen, Zhuhai, China |
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Abstract: | The enhanced interest in carotenoid research arises partly because of their application in the food and health industries and partly because of the necessity to find a commercially viable natural source for their mass production. The bottlenecks in finding a natural source of carotenoids which can compete with the synthetic products is the mass production of the organism that produces carotenoids, cell harvesting and extraction methods of carotenoids. The microalga Botryococcus braunii is an interesting organism for its commercial value as a rich source of carotenoids. It contains lutein as major carotenoid which is considered to be one of the beneficial carotenoids in human health applications. The current paper reviews the status of B. braunii as an alternative source of carotenoid production on the commercial scale addressing aspects like cultures of algae, factors that enhance the production and accumulation of carotenoids, cell harvesting methods, and carotenoid extraction. The paper also presents an overview of identification, characterization and structural elucidation of carotenoids from B. braunii and their bioactivity. |
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Keywords: | B braunii stress factors carotenoids analysis biological activities possible applications |
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