review · Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology
Microbial carotenoids synthesized intracellularly by yeast, bacteria, and microalgae offer antioxidant and antimicrobial properties valuable to the food and pharmaceutical sectors. Conventional extraction processes rely heavily on toxic volatile organic solvents such as hexane, petroleum ether, and dimethyl sulfoxide. To establish cleaner and biocompatible extraction technologies, research is increasingly focusing on tailor-made alternatives, specifically ionic liquids and deep eutectic solvents. Computational tools can predict carotenoid solubility within these custom systems, offering a way to bypass labour-intensive experimental screening. Although these alternative solvents display advantageous properties for microbial carotenoid recovery, their present use remains confined to laboratory-scale scientific investigation, and their viability for practical deployment in industrial processing environments has not yet been demonstrated.
Carotenoids from microbes hold strong potential for health, food, and medical applications, but standard extraction methods rely on hazardous chemicals. Switching to tailor-made, non-toxic solvents could make production cleaner, safer, and more environmentally sustainable, while predictive computer modelling can speed up the design of these green chemical processes.
The technology targets downstream recovery processes for pharmaceutical and food ingredient manufacturers sourcing carotenoids from microalgae, bacteria, or yeast. This work is at an early research stage: the use of ionic liquids and deep eutectic solvents remains confined to scientific investigation, and their practical and economic feasibility in commercial, industrial-scale settings has yet to be established.
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In recent years, microbial carotenoids have emerged as a promising alternative for the pharmaceutical and food industries, particularly in promoting human health due to their potent antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. Microbial carotenoids, particularly those produced by yeast, bacteria, and microalgae, are synthesized intracellularly, requiring the use of solvents for their effective extraction and recovery. The conventional use of toxic volatile organic solvents (VOCs) like hexane, petroleum ether, and dimethyl sulfoxide in the extraction of microbial carotenoids has been common. However, ongoing research is introducing innovative, non-toxic, environmentally friendly tailor-made solvents, such as ionic liquids (IL) and deep eutectic solvents (DES), indicating a new era of cleaner and biocompatible technologies. This review aims to highlight recent advancements in utilizing IL and DES for obtaining carotenoids from microorganisms. Additionally, we explore the utilization of in silico tools designed to determine the solubilities of microbial carotenoids in tailor-made DES and ILs. This presents a promising alternative for the scientific community, potentially reducing the need for extensive experimental screening of solvents for the recovery of microbial carotenoids in the separation processing. According to our expert perspective, both IL and DES exhibit a plethora of exceptional attributes for the recovery of microbial carotenoids. Nevertheless, the current employment of these solvents for recovery of carotenoids is restricted to scientific exploration, as their feasibility for practical application in industrial settings has yet to be conclusively demonstrated. KEY POINTS: • ILs and DES share many tailoring properties for the recovery of microbial carotenoids • The use of ILs and DES for microbial carotenoid extraction remains driven by scientific curiosity. • The economic feasibility of ILs and DES is yet to be demonstrated in industrial applications.
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DOI: 10.1007/s00253-024-13049-x
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