Isolation of High Carotenoid-producing Aurantiochytrium sp Mutants and Improvement of Astaxanthin Productivity Using Metabolic Information

The marine eukaryotic microheterotroph thraustochytrid genus Aurantiochytrium is a known producer of polyunsaturated fatty acids, carotenoids, and squalene. We previously constructed a lipid fermentation system for Aurantiochytrium sp. strains using underutilized biomass, such as canned syrup and brown macroalgae. To improve the productivity, in this study, Aurantiochytrium sp. RH-7A and RH-7A-7 that produced high levels of carotenoids, such as astaxanthin and canthaxanthin, were isolated through chemical mutagenesis. Moreover, metabolomic analysis of the strain RH-7A revealed that oxidative stress impacts carotenoid accumulation. Accordingly, the addition of ferrous ion (Fe2+), as an oxidative stress compound, to the culture medium significantly enhanced the production of astaxanthin by the mutants. These approaches improved the productivity of astaxanthin up to 9.5 mg/L/day at the flask scale using not only glucose but also fructose which is the main carbon source in fermentation systems with syrup and brown algae as the raw materials.