Light requirement for the carotenoids production by Mucor hiemalis

Fungi produce many different carotenoids and some are attractive in medical and industrial sources. In this work the ability of Mucor hiemalis [PTCC 5292] to produce carotenoids in media with different nitrogenous and carbon sources and incubation with white, yellow, blue and red lights [15W, 220V, E27] against dark-grown were studied. The microorganism cultivation in SDA medium, with or without aeration [120 rpm] at 25°C. Mycelia were collected and dried at 50°C. The dried mycelia were homogenized in hexane, acetone and H2SO4 [0.5 M] solvents. The carotenoids determined by TLC and HPLC methods. The results showed that M. hiemalis accumulated astaxanthin [mono-esters, di-esters and free], echinenone and canthaxanthin in the mycelia in different conditions. Blue and white lights incubation was the best for production of carotenoid pigments with 1.2 and 1.33 mg/g dried mycelia respectively, but the red light incubation not only did not have an amplifying effect on the production of carotenoid but also slightly reduced this effect. Also, the effect of intervention of lactose sugar showed more effectiveness in producing carotenoid than yeast extract and dextrose or in the presence of both of them. The information reported in this study on the comparative ability of M.hiemalis for producing carotenoids, should be useful for assessing the biotechnological production of carotenoid pigments if it incubates with white or blue lights

Screening of Iranian plants for antifugal activity: part 2

In this study, 278 species from 37 families of native Iranian plants were screened for in vitro antifungal activity against 19 fungal strains. Initially, the crude extracts in concentration of 100 micro g/ml were tested. Among 278 plant extracts, 201[71.27%] of them showed antifungal activity against at least one fungal strain. A wide range of total extracts of different species were shown to have potentially noticeable antifungal effects. The outstanding species were: Mentha longifolia, Saliva multicaulis, Thymus transcaspicus, Zataria multiflora, Glycyrrhiza glabra, Hulthemia persica, Heracleum persicum, Pimpinella anisum, Pragnos ferulacea, Pragnos uloptera, and Viola odorata