Title of Invention "AN IMPROVED PROCESS FOR THE PREPARATION OF CAROTENOIDS FROM ENCYSTED HAEMATOCOCCUS CELLS" Abstract An improved process for the preparation of carotenoids from Heamatococcus cells characterized in simple method of extraction of said caratonoids by using acidified aqueous solution, which comprises suspending encysted Heamatococcus cells in acidified aqueous solution having concentration in the range of 0.01 N to N at a temperature range of 8-90° C for a period of 30 seconds to 15 minutes, separating the encysted cells by conventional centrifugation and getting the desired carotenoid preferably astaxanthin by solvent extraction of said acidified aqueous solution obtained after centrifugation. Full Text The present invention …show more content…
It is a unicellular, biflagellate, motile organism which can grow both autotrophically and heterotrophicaliy. It forms a cyst under unfavourable growth conditions. This encystment is accompanied by the synthesis and accumulation of carotenoids especially astaxanthin. During the encystment process, the relative quantities of individual carotenoids change considerably from 75-80% lutein and 10-20% carotene to over 80-90% astaxanthin in encysted cells. Although the astaxanthin content n Haematococcus accounts to more than 2% on dry weight basis, the tough cell wail of cyst cells hinders solvent extraction and intestinal absorption of the pigment from the intact algal biomass. Methods of cell wall disruption which have been applied include mechanical breakage, chemical hydrolysis and lytic enzymes ( Okabue, RN and -ewis MJ 1983 Biotechnol.Lett 5: 731-736., Grung M, D'Souza, FML, Borowitzka M, and Jaaen Jensen S 1992, J appi Phycol 4: 165-171) either denature astaxanthin or are cumbersome and difficult to apply on a large scale. Therefore the present invention provides an alternate improved process for the extraction of carotenoids from encysted Haematococcus cells which facilitated extraction of carotenoids with out homogenisation of cells or use of lytic enzymes. Procedures currently reported for the extraction of astaxanthin from microorganisms are the