ABSTRACT
Six kinds of elicitors were prepared respectively from Neurospora crassa, Monascus purpureus, Sporobolomyces roseus, Rhodotorula rubra, Nocardia sp. N89 and Actinoplanes sp. A05. When Penicillium sp. PT95 was incubated in Czapek's agar plates containing appropriate amounts of elicitors, both its sclerotia biomass and carotenoid content accumulated in sclerotia were enhanced significantly (P < 0.01). Among tested elicitors, the elicitors from the fungi N. crassa, M. purpureus, S.-roseus and R. rubra were more effective than those from the actinomycetes Nocardia sp. N89 and Actinoplanes sp. A05; the elicitor from M. purpureus gave the highest carotenoid yield of 599 micrograms/plate, 2.76 times higher than that of control. Every one of elicitors except that from M. purpureus could increase significantly the proportion of beta-carotene in total carotenoids (P < 0.01).