Produção biotecnológica de pigmentos carotenoides: tendências, novas tecnologias e aplicações

Abstract

The production of carotenoids has been shown to be increasingly relevant, either for their use as pigments or as bioactives for the treatment of diseases and food supplementation, both human and animal. These compounds are naturally produced by plants or by some species of microorganisms, in response to some categories of environmental stress, such as excessive light, and whose color varies between yellow and red. In the industrial scope, carotenoids can be produced by chemical synthesis or by extraction from plants, algae and microorganisms, the latter with great potential, but still little explored. These pigments can generate several benefits to human health, such as antioxidant activity, acting as vitamin A precursors and regulating the immune system. In this sense, the present work aimed to carry out a review of the bibliography regarding research involving the subject, in relation to the market, trends, biotechnological production, the use of agro-industrial residues for its production and the new discoveries involving the use of these compounds in prevention and treatment of diseases.