Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Applied and Environmental Microbiology logoLink to Applied and Environmental Microbiology
. 1989 Dec;55(12):3065–3071. doi: 10.1128/aem.55.12.3065-3071.1989

Profiling and Quantitation of Bacterial Carotenoids by Liquid Chromatography and Photodiode Array Detection

H J Nelis 1, A P De Leenheer 1,*
PMCID: PMC203224  PMID: 16348068

Abstract

An analytical method for the profiling and quantitative determination of carotenoids in bacteria is described. Exhaustive extraction of the pigments from four selected bacterial strains required treatment of the cells with potassium hydroxide or liquefied phenol or both before the addition of the extracting solvent (methanol or diethyl ether). The carotenoids in the extracts were separated by nonaqueous reversed-phase liquid chromatography in conjunction with photodiode array absorption detection. The identity of a peak was considered definitive only when both its retention time and absorption spectrum, before and after chemical reactions, matched those of a reference component. In the absence of the latter, most peaks could be tentatively identified. Two examples illustrate how in the analysis of pigmented bacteria errors may result from using nonchromatographic procedures or liquid chromatographic methods lacking sufficient criteria for peak identification. Carotenoids of interest were determined quantitatively when the authentic reference substance was available or, alternatively, were determined semiquantitatively.

Full text

PDF
3065

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Cooney J. J., Berry R. A. Inhibition of carotenoid synthesis in Micrococcus roseus. Can J Microbiol. 1981 Apr;27(4):421–425. doi: 10.1139/m81-064. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Cooney J. J., Marks H. W., Smith A. M. Isolation and Identification of Canthaxanthin from Micrococcus roseus. J Bacteriol. 1966 Aug;92(2):342–345. doi: 10.1128/jb.92.2.342-345.1966. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Downs J., Harrison D. E. Studies on the production of pink pigment in Pseudomonas extorquens NCIB 9399 growing in continuous culture. J Appl Bacteriol. 1974 Mar;37(1):65–74. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2672.1974.tb00415.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Dumenil G., Laget M., Cremieux A., Millon M., Brousse M. Etude des conditions de pigmentation d'une souche bactérienne méthylotrophe facultative: Corynebacterium sp. XG. Ann Pharm Fr. 1983;41(5):427–435. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Foppen F. H. Tables for the identification of carotenoid pigments. Chromatogr Rev. 1971 Aug;14(3):133–298. doi: 10.1016/0009-5907(71)80012-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Gillan F. T., Johns R. B. Normal-phase HPLC analysis of microbial carotenoids and neutral lipids. J Chromatogr Sci. 1983 Jan;21(1):34–38. doi: 10.1093/chromsci/21.1.34. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Merritt K., Jacobs N. J. Characterization and incidence of pigment production by human clinical group B streptococci. J Clin Microbiol. 1978 Jul;8(1):105–107. doi: 10.1128/jcm.8.1.105-107.1978. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Nelis H. J., De Leenheer A. P. Reinvestigation of Brevibacterium sp. Strain KY-4313 as a Source of Canthaxanthin. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1989 Oct;55(10):2505–2510. doi: 10.1128/aem.55.10.2505-2510.1989. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Nelis H. J., Lavens P., Moens L., Sorgeloos P., Jonckheere J. A., Criel G. R., De Leenheer A. P. cis-Canthaxanthins. Unusual carotenoids in the eggs and the reproductive system of female brine shrimp artemia. J Biol Chem. 1984 May 25;259(10):6063–6066. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Ng J. H., Tan B. Analysis of palm oil carotenoids by HPLC with diode-array detection. J Chromatogr Sci. 1988 Sep;26(9):463–469. doi: 10.1093/chromsci/26.9.463. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Palmisano A. C., Cronin S. E., Des Marais D. J. Analysis of lipophilic pigments from a phototrophic microbial mat community by high performance liquid chromatography. J Microbiol Methods. 1988;8:209–217. doi: 10.1016/0167-7012(88)90003-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Schwartzel E. H., Cooney J. J. Action of light on Micrococcus roseus. Can J Microbiol. 1974 Jul;20(7):1015–1021. doi: 10.1139/m74-157. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Schwartzel E. H., Cooney J. J. Isolation and characterization of pigmentation mutants of Micrococcus roseus. Can J Microbiol. 1974 Jul;20(7):1007–1013. doi: 10.1139/m74-156. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Ungers G. E., Cooney J. J. Isolation and characterization of carotenoid pigments of Micrococcus roseus. J Bacteriol. 1968 Jul;96(1):234–241. doi: 10.1128/jb.96.1.234-241.1968. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Applied and Environmental Microbiology are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES