Abstract
Mucorales are known as b-carotene producing fungi and some species, namely Blakeslea trispora, Phycomyces blakesleeanus and Mucor circinelloides, are used as model organisms in carotenogenic studies. However, little is known about the carotenoid production and composition of other species belonging to this fungal group. In this study, carotenoid content of 21 isolates representing 11 species and five genera were determined. Carotenoid content of strains belonging to the same species showed high level of variability. Several promising producers were identified, of which carotenoid contents were comparable with those of the well characterized M. circinelloides and B. trispora. Effect of the temperature and several carbon sources on the carotenoid production of the tested strains was also examined Key words: b-carotene, b-cryptoxanthin, zeaxanthin, Amylomyces, Backusella,Gilbertella, Mucor, Rhizopus.
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