INVESTIGATING FACTORS AFFECTING PRODIGIOSIN PRODUCTION FROM Serratia marcescens SR3 BY SUBMERGED FERMENTATION

Abstract

Prodigiosin is a red pigment and widely applied as antimicrobial, antifungal, anti-malarial, anti-cancer, ,...Prodigiosin is isolated from bacteria, such as Serratia marcescens, Hahella chejuensis, Vibrio psychroerythrus and Streptomyces coelicolor,. . . S. marcescens is the major producer of prodigiosin. The production of prodigiosin has been shown to be influenced by many factors, such as species type and environmental factors, including media composition, temperature, pH and incubation time,... This study was conducted to analyze the effect of various factors on prodigiosin production process of S. marcescens SR3 by submerged fermentation method. Prodigiosin content was determined by the spectrophotometer method. The results showed thatS. marcescens SR3 could produce prodigiosin in LB medium, initial bacterial volume (7%, v/v), carbon source (lactose 1 g/L), nitrogen source (yeast extract 5 g/L), pH = 8, fermentation time (96 hours), and prodigiosin content reached 527.28 Unit/cell. The results of the study showed that S. marcescens SR3 bacteria is a potential source of prodigiosin for research and applications.