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Identification of carotenoids with high antioxidant capacity produced by extremophile microorganisms

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Abstract

In this study, the carotenoids produced by the extremophile microorganisms Halococcus morrhuae, Halobacterium salinarium and Thermus filiformis were separated and identified by high-performance liquid chromatography connected to a diode array detector and a tandem mass spectrometer. The in vitro scavenging capacity of the carotenoid extracts against radical and non-radical species was evaluated. In halophilic microorganisms, the following carotenoids were identified: bacterioruberin, bisanhydrobacterioruberin, trisanhydrobacterioruberin and their derivatives. In the thermophilic bacterium, the carotenoids all-trans-zeaxanthin, zeaxanthin monoglucoside, thermozeaxanthins and thermobiszeaxanthins were identified. The antioxidant capacities of the carotenoid extracts of H. morrhuae (trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity = 5.07 and IC50 = 0.85 μg mL−1) and H. salinarium (trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity = 5.28 and IC50 = 0.84 μg mL−1) were similar and higher than those of the bacterium T. filiformis (trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity = 2.87 and IC50 = 2.41 μg mL−1). This difference is related to the presence of acyclic carotenoids with both large numbers of conjugated double bounds and of hydroxyl groups in the major carotenoid of the halophilic microorganisms.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the Brazilian National Council for Scientific Research (CNPq) and the Foundation for the Support of Research of the State of São Paulo (FAPESP) for their financial support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Food Science, Faculty of Food Engineering, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, SP, 13083-862, Brazil

    Fernanda Mandelli, Viviane S. Miranda, Eliseu Rodrigues & Adriana Z. Mercadante

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  1. Fernanda Mandelli
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  2. Viviane S. Miranda
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  3. Eliseu Rodrigues
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  4. Adriana Z. Mercadante
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Correspondence to Adriana Z. Mercadante.

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Mandelli, F., Miranda, V.S., Rodrigues, E. et al. Identification of carotenoids with high antioxidant capacity produced by extremophile microorganisms. World J Microbiol Biotechnol 28, 1781–1790 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11274-011-0993-y

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