Antioxidants play an important role in human health, and are industrially relevant as pigments, cosmetics, and food additives. There has been an increase in natural production of these molecules from plants and fungi, such as the carotenoid producing basidiomycete Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous. Previous studies show that X. dendrorhous carotenogenesis can be light-induced, but there is little information on the mechanism or specificity of this regulation. This project examined preferential light activation of X. dendrorhous carotenoids. We find that β-carotene production is greatest under UV radiation while that of astaxanthin is greatest in red/green light. This is relevant for optimization of industrial production and fundamental understanding antioxidant regulation and mechanisms.

• This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

Creator

• Marsan, Celeste B.

Publisher

• Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Identifier

• E-project-042419-162311

Advisor

• Young, Eric Mosher

Year

• 2019

Date created

• 2019-04-24

Resource type

• Major Qualifying Project

Major

• Chemical Engineering

Rights statement

• In Copyright