Carotenoids are an essential component of the human diet. Bioactive by nature, they are rich in antioxidants, promote vitamin A activity and lower the development of chronic illnesses. As such they are an area of growing interest to researchers and scientists who are working to design, develop and launch new functional food products, dietary supplements and other nutritional solutions. Carotenoids: Nutrition, Analysis and Technology is an up-to-date overview of the key areas of carotenoids in nutrition, therapy and technology. In the first section, the authors present a functional food perspective, outlining the therapeutic applications of the bioactive pigments. The second part is dedicated to the spectroscopic analysis of carotenoids, providing in-depth scientific methods and real research findings. In the final section, various technological applications of carotenoids are considered, including biotechnology and future prospects. Written by international experts in the field, this comprehensive book will be of interest to food scientists and researchers, nutritionists and health food companies. It will be of particular use to anyone involved in the spectroscopic analysis of carotenoids and other related bioactives.

Carotenoids are a family of yellow to orange-red terpenoid pigments synthesized by photosynthetic organisms and many bacteria and fungi. They have beneficial health effects protecting against oxidative damage, and may be responsible for the colours associated with plants and animals. In Microbial Carotenoids From Fungi: Methods and Protocols, expert researchers in the field detail many of the most up-to-date methods which are now commonly used to study carotenoids. These include methods for the manipulation and metabolic engineering of the Beta-carotene producing fungi Blakeslea trispora and Mucor circinelloides, lycopene production with the yeast Yarrowia lipolytica, peroxisome targeting of lycopene pathway enzymes in Pichia pastoris, and the manipulation of the heterobasidiomycetous yeast Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous, which produces astaxanthin, a red xanthophyll with large importance in the aquaculture, pharmaceutical, and food industries. Additionally, the book includes a DNA assembler method for construction of zeaxanthin-producing strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, production of neurosporaxanthin by Neurospora and Fusarium, and production of torularhodin, torulene and b-carotene by Rhodotorula yeasts. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular BiologyTM series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and key tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and practical, Microbial Carotenoids From Fungi: Methods and Protocols, provides practical experimental laboratory procedures for a wide range of carotenoids producing microorganisms.

This volume in Springer s Methods and Protocols series has expert researchers detailing many of the latest methods for studying canthaxanthin production, directed evolution of carotenoid synthases, and a host of other techniques, all with stepwise directions."

In this volume, expert researchers in the field detail the most up-to-date methods commonly used to study and produce carotenoids. These include methods on the manipulation and metabolic engineering of carotenoid producing microalgae and bacteria, including Corynebacterium glutamicum, Rhodopseudomonas palustris and radio-tolerant bacteria; in addition to fungi, as the beta-carotene producing Blakeslea trispora and Mucor circinelloides or the lycopene producing Blakeslea trispora; and the heterobasidiomycetous yeast producing xanthophylls Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous (Phaffia rhodozyma) and the engineered yeast Pichia pastoris. Additionally, three overview chapters on the advancement of Biotechnology and carotenoid production are included. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and key tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and cutting-edge, Microbial Carotenoids: Methods and Protocols provides practical experimental laboratory procedures for a wide range of carotenoids producing microorganisms, aiming to ensure successful results in the further study of this vital field.

Carotenoids are a family of yellow to orange-red terpenoid pigments synthesized by photosynthetic organisms and many bacteria and fungi. They have beneficial health effects protecting against oxidative damage and may be responsible for the colours associated with plants and animals. In Microbial Carotenoids from Bacteria and Microalgae: Methods and Protocols, expert researchers in the field detail many of the most up-to-date methods which are now commonly used to study carotenoids. These include methods for the study of canthaxanthin production, construction of carotenoid reporter systems, directed evolution of carotenoid synthases, and improvement of b-carotene hydroxylase catalytic activity are described. Additionally, the book includes methods of DNA fingerprinting for the identification of carotenogenic Dunaliella species, ketocarotenoid biosynthesis in microalgae expressing the beta-C-4-carotene oxygenase gene, characterization of carotenogenesis genes in Anabaena sp., obtaining lutein from microalgal biomass, NMR-based isotopologue profiling of microbial carotenoids, and analysis of diapocarotenoids. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular BiologyTM series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and key tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and practical, Microbial Carotenoids from Bacteria and Microalgae: Methods and Protocols provides practical experimental laboratory procedures for a wide range of carotenoids producing microorganisms.

The book "Progress in Carotenoid Research" presents an authoritative and comprehensive overview of the biology, biochemistry, and chemistry of carotenoids. Divided into 14 discrete parts, this book covers topics on basic science and applied technology of carotenoid molecules. This book provides an insight into future developments in each field and has an extensive bibliography. It will be an essential resource for researchers and academic and industry professionals in the natural pigment field.

This book is a printed edition of the Special Issue "Fungal Pigments" that was published in JoF

Discover a comprehensive and current overview of microbial bioprospecting written by leading voices in the field In Bioprospecting of Microorganism-Based Industrial Molecules, distinguished researchers and authors Sudhir P. Singh and Santosh Kumar Upadhyay deliver global perspectives of bioprospecting of biodiversity. The book covers diverse aspects of bioprospecting of microorganisms demonstrating biomass value of nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, biomedical, and bioenergetic importance. The authors present an amalgamation of translational research on bioresource utilization and ecological sustainability that will further the reader’s knowledge of the applications of different microbial diversity and reveal new avenues of research investigation. Readers will also benefit from: A thorough introduction to microbial biodiversity and bioprospecting An exploration of anti-ageing and skin lightening microbial products and microbial production of anti-cancerous biomolecules A treatment of UV protective compounds from algal biodiversity and polysaccharides from marine microalgal sources Discussions of microbial sources of insect toxic proteins and the role of microbes in bio-surfactants production Perfect for academics, scientists, researchers, graduate and post-graduate students working and studying in the areas of microbiology, food biotechnology, industrial microbiology, plant biotechnology, and microbial biotechnology, Bioprospecting of Microorganism-Based Industrial Molecules is an indispensable guide for anyone looking for a comprehensive overview of the subject.

This comprehensive, edited book explores carotenoids and their important functional roles in yeast, bacteria and plants and a profound exposition on the structures of carotenoid molecules, focusing in the first of three parts on the biosynthesis of carotenoids. The regulation of carotenoid biosynthesis in photosynthesis as well as in plant, fruits, storage roots and algae is central to the second part, and discoveries about the function of carotenoids in human health feature in the third and final part. Many helpful illustrations, explanations, overviews and examples help to bring readers up to date on relevant themes including carotenogenic genes, carotenoids in fruits and metabolic engineering. The book explores where carotenoids are synthesized in nature, including in carrots and algae. Contributing expert authors examine enzyme functions and plant models, and analyze the structure of carotenoid molecules. The function of carotenoids in photosynthesis and in photosynthetic organs as well as during fruit ripening are then explored. A whole chapter is dedicated to the latest research on apocarotenoids and further chapters cover interesting and novel themes on plastid development and the epigenetic regulation that affects carotenoid synthesis in plants. The metabolic engineering of carotenoids that has been done in fruits, plants, and seeds is another area that readers can explore, along with evidences on the function of carotenoids in human nutrition, as antioxidants, as in the control of lipid metabolism and in the absorption of carotenoids. This is a highly informative and wide-ranging work which will update researchers in the field, as well as supporting students of plant physiology and biotechnology, as supplementary reading.

Vitamins and related growth factors belong to the few chemicals with a positive appeal to most people; the name evokes health, vitality, fitness, strength . . . . each one of us indeed needs his daily intake of vitamins, which should normally be provided via a balanced and varied diet. However, current food habits or preferences, or food processing and preservation methods do not always assure a sufficient natural daily vitamin supply, even for a healthy human being; this is all the more true for stressed or sick individuals. Although modern society is seldom confronted with the notorious avitaminoses of the past, they do still occur frequently in overpopulated and poverty- and famine-struck regions in many parts of the world. Apart from their in-vivo nutritional-physiological roles as growth factors for man, animals, plants and micro-organisms, vitamin compounds are now being introduced increasingly as food/feed additives, as medical-therapeutical agents, as health-aids, and also as technical aids. Indeed, today an impressive number of processed foods, feeds, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and chemicals contain extra added vitamins or vitamin-related compounds, and single or multivitamin preparations are commonly taken or prescribed. These reflections do indicate that there is an extra need for vitamin supply, other than that provided from plant and animal food resources. Most added vitamins are indeed now prepared chemically and/or biotechnologically via fermentation/bioconversion processes. Similarly, other related growth factors, provitamins, vitamin-like com pounds, i. e.