Improved total carotenoid content from Planococcus plakortidis NIOT3 through microwave assisted extraction and genome-guided pathway annotation.

With an increasing demand for natural colorants, marine microbes have become attractive targets for novel natural colorants like carotenoids. Microbial carotenoid extraction by green approach is advantageous over traditional methods which minimize energy usage and reduce extraction time. In the current study, an orange pigmented marine bacterium Planococcus plakortidis NIOT3 was isolated from the Sesostris bank of Arabian Sea and found to produce desirable level of total carotenoids (320 ± 24 µg/g DW) when grown in rich medium.