Nova Biologica Reperta

Isolation and molecular identification of carotenoid-producing bacteria

Authors

Razieh sadat Solouki Nezhad 1
Hanieh Asaadi 2
Yaser Eshaghi Milasi 3
Sajjad Yazdansetad 4

1 Department of Biology, Faculty of Basic Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch, Tehran, Iran.

2 Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran.

3 Shahrekord University

4 Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran.

https://doi.org/10.29252/nbr.6.1.61
Abstract
The production of pigments from bacteria is significant due to the low cost, high yield and ease of extract compared with other sources. Carotenoids are one of the most important pigments with antioxidant properties which are the precursor of vitamin A synthesis and have antibody overproduction ability, anti-tumor activity and inhibitory effect on the cardiovascular disease. The present study aimed to isolate and identify carotenoid-producing bacteria by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis of their carotenoid pigments. Twenty soil samples were collected from different regions of Tehran. After serial dilution each sample was cultured on BHI agar medium and incubated at 37°C. The pigment-producing bacteria were selected for further identification and their pigments were extracted by methanol. The screening was carried out at two levels: i) selection of the strains by visual color inspection, ii) analysis of the pigment extracts by UV-VIS spectroscopy and HPLC. The isolates were identified by phenotypic methods and their 16S rDNA gene was amplified by PCR method and sequenced. Staphylococcus epidermidis, Micrococcus aloeverae, Citricoccus alkalitolerans, Rhodococcus zopfii, Arthrobacter agilis, Dietzia natronolimnaea and Rhodococcus ruber were identified as carotenoid-producing strains. The highest rate of absorption was observed using UV-VIS analysis in Staphylococcus epidermidis and Dietzia natronolimnaea. The comparison of HPLC analysis with the standard β-carotene curve showed that the carotenoids were beta-carotene. Micro-organisms are a potential source in the production of pigments. In this study we introduced two genera of bacteria (Staphylococcus epidermidis and Dietzia natronolimnaea) with carotenoid-producing ability.


Keywords

β-carotene
carotenoids
chromatography
pigment
spectrophotometry
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  • Receive Date 08 June 2026
  • Publish Date 08 June 2026

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