PRODUCTION OF NEW CAROTENOIDS, ASTAXANTHIN GLUCOSIDES, BY ESCHERICHIA-COLI TRANSFORMANTS CARRYING CAROTENOID BIOSYNTHETIC GENES

For the purpose of production of astaxanthin glucosides, which is expe cted to be useful polar carotenoids, construction of plasmids having s even carotenoid biosynthetic genes and expression in transformed E. co li were carried out through the approach of metabolic engineering. Fro m two transformed E. coli strains, two new carotenoid glucoside, astax anthin beta-D-diglucoside (1) and adonixanthin 3'-beta-D-glucoside (2) , and known astaxanthin glucoside (3) were isolated. These structures were determined by spectral means. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.