Method for production of carotenoid
The present invention provides a composition comprising a high content of highly pure, low-cost, and safe carotenoid and a method for industrially producing the same. The present invention also provides functional food, a pharmaceutical composition and a cosmetic product comprising such a composition. The present invention further provides a method for producing a composition containing at least 80% of carotenoid, which is characterized in treating a microorganism culture with extraction using a lower alcohol at 80° C. at the lowest or a combination of water and a lower alcohol at 80° C. at the lowest, and then washing and filtrating the precipitate obtained from the extract solution with a combination of a lower alcohol and water.
1. A method for extracting a carotenoid-containing composition, comprising the step of extracting a microorganism culture with a solvent including a lower alcohol having a carbon number of 1 to 3 at a temperature from 80° C. to 150° C., or a combination of water and a lower alcohol having a carbon number of 1 to 3, at a temperature from 80° C. to 150° C. to provide an extract solution, wherein the extracting step is performed in a sealed pressure vessel above atmospheric pressure and at a maximum gauge pressure of 0.4 MPa.
2. A method for producing a carotenoid-containing composition, comprising the following steps:
extracting a microorganism culture with a solvent including a lower alcohol having a carbon number of 1 to 3 at a temperature from 80° C. to 150° C., or a combination of water and a lower alcohol having a carbon number of 1 to 3 at a temperature from 80° C. to 150° C. to form an extract solution;
obtaining a precipitate from the obtained extract solution;
washing the precipitate with a lower alcohol having a carbon number of 1 to 3; and
further washing the precipitate with water, wherein the extracting step is performed in a sealed pressure vessel above atmospheric pressure and at a maximum gauge pressure of 0.4 MPa.
3. A method for producing a carotenoid-containing composition, comprising the following steps:
extracting a microorganism culture with a solvent including a lower alcohol having a carbon number of 1 to 3 at a temperature from 80° C. to 150° C., or a combination of water and a lower alcohol having a carbon number of 1 to 3 at a temperature from 80° C. to 150° C. to form an extract solution;
obtaining a precipitate from the obtained extract solution; and
washing the precipitate with a lower alcohol having a carbon number of 1 to 3, wherein the extracting step is performed in a sealed pressure vessel above atmospheric pressure and at a maximum gauge pressure of 0.4 MPa.
4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the lower alcohol is ethanol.
5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the carotenoid-containing composition is a composition containing at least 80% of the carotenoid.
6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the carotenoid contains at least 40% astaxanthin.
7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the microorganism has a DNA base sequence corresponding to 16S ribosomal RNA, which is substantially homologous to the base sequence represented by SEQ ID NO: 1.
8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the microorganism is E-396 strain (FERM BP-4283) or a mutant thereof.