Enhancing carotenogenesis in terrestrial microalgae by UV-A light stress

Carotenoids are among the most widely distributed pigments in nature with broad application options in pharmacology, cosmetics and food industries. For commercial-scale production using microalgae, however, it is crucial to find the best performing strains regarding growth and yields of the products of interest. As terrestrial microalgae present the ability to quickly adapt to changing or unfavorable environmental conditions through cell-specific defense mechanisms, they constitute highly promising candidates. The present study thus aimed to investigate the potential of five terrestrial microalgal strains to increasingly produce the carotenoids β-carotene, canthaxanthin and astaxanthin when being exposed to UV-A stress. Light stress experiments were performed using a novel irradiation system based on UV-LED technology. Microalgal cultures were treated with UV-A radiation to stimulate carotenogenesis and the time-dependent effects were investigated by high-performance liquid chromatography analysis. The potential of the microalgae to enhance de novo biosynthesis of the targeted metabolites under the influence of UV-A light could be confirmed by significantly increased yields of canthaxanthin in four out of five strains and by a significantly enhanced β-carotene concentration in at least one strain during 72 h of investigation. Overall, the results provided evidence that UV-A light stress can be effective in rapidly inducing carotenogenesis in terrestrial microalgae and thus harbors vast potential for further exploitation regarding large-scale carotenoid production.