Biotechnological Production of Carotenoid from Oleaginous Red yeast and Its Applications

The demand for carotenoids and their derivatives from natural sources is increasing rapidly due to public concern about food safety and health issues, and thus, carotenoid production from microbial fermentation is increasing significantly due to its ability to accumulate higher levels of carotene. Carotenoids, lipid-soluble pigments, are responsible for the vibrant colors in food and microorganisms. Carotenoids have the most important advantages in terms of antioxidant and anticancer activity. These possible applications are used for treating various diseases like xerophthalmia, keratomalacia, skin acne, breast cancer and tumor formation. They are widely used in the pharmaceutical, cosmetics and food industries. Due to the overall increase in the cost of carotenoids, carotenoids are produced in the pharmaceutical, food and cosmetics industries through chemical synthesis or extraction from plants. The oleaginous red yeast, Rhodotorula minuta, is well known for producing a high yield of carotenoids with a low production cost. Over the years, these carotenoids have been produced from oleaginous red yeast, using low-cost substrates or agricultural waste for cost-effective purposes. In this paper, we highlighted the production of carotenoids from oleaginous red yeast and its applications.