Purification of Natural Pigments Violacein and Deoxyviolacein Produced by Fermentation Using Yarrowia lipolytica

Georgio Nemer (1, 2) , Nicolas Louka (1) , Paul Rabiller Blandin (2) , Richard Maroun (1) , Eugène Vorobiev (2) , Tristan Rossignol (3) , Jean-Marc Nicaud (3) , Erwann Guénin (2) , Mohamed Koubaa (2)

1 USJ - Université Saint-Joseph de Beyrouth
2 ESCOM - ESCOM - Ecole Supérieure de Chimie Organique et Minérale
3 MICALIS - MICrobiologie de l'ALImentation au Service de la Santé

Violacein and deoxyviolacein are bis-indole pigments synthesized by a number of microorganisms. The present study describes the biosynthesis of a mixture of violacein and deoxyviolacein using a genetically modified Y. lipolytica strain as a production chassis, the subsequent extraction of the intracellular pigments, and ultimately their purification using column chromatography. The results show that the optimal separation between the pigments occurs using an ethyl acetate/cyclohexane mixture with different ratios, first 65:35 until both pigments were clearly visible and distinguishable, then 40:60 to create a noticeable separation between them and recover the deoxyviolacein, and finally 80:20, which allows the recovery of the violacein. The purified pigments were then analyzed by thin-layer chromatography and nuclear magnetic resonance.

Mots clés: Yarrowia lipolytica; pigment; violacein; deoxyviolacein; fermentation; purification; column chromatography

Domaines: Sciences du Vivant [q-bio]

Georgio Nemer, Nicolas Louka, Paul Rabiller Blandin, Richard Maroun, Eugène Vorobiev, et al.. Purification of Natural Pigments Violacein and Deoxyviolacein Produced by Fermentation Using Yarrowia lipolytica. Molecules, 2023, 28 (11), pp. 4292. ⟨10.3390/molecules28114292⟩. ⟨hal-04303436⟩