Extreme halophilic Archaea: Halobacterium salinarum carotenoids characterization and antioxidant properties
Sana Ben Hamad Bouhamed,
Marwa Chaari,
Houda Baati,
Sami Zouari,
Emna Ammar
Affiliations
Sana Ben Hamad Bouhamed
Research Group of Agri-Food Processing Engineering, Laboratory of Applied Fluids Mechanics, Process Engineering and Environment, National Engineering School of Sfax, University of Sfax, Tunisia
Marwa Chaari
Research Group of Agri-Food Processing Engineering, Laboratory of Applied Fluids Mechanics, Process Engineering and Environment, National Engineering School of Sfax, University of Sfax, Tunisia; National Engineering School of Sfax, University of Sfax, Laboratory of Environment Sciences and Sustainable Development, B.P. 1173 - 3038, Sfax, Tunisia
Houda Baati
National Engineering School of Sfax, University of Sfax, Laboratory of Environment Sciences and Sustainable Development, B.P. 1173 - 3038, Sfax, Tunisia
Sami Zouari
High Institute of Biotechnology of Sfax, University of Sfax, Laboratory of Medicinal and Environmental Chemistry, Sfax, Tunisia; National Engineering School of Sfax, University of Sfax, Tunisia
Emna Ammar
National Engineering School of Sfax, University of Sfax, Laboratory of Environment Sciences and Sustainable Development, B.P. 1173 - 3038, Sfax, Tunisia; National Engineering School of Sfax, University of Sfax, Tunisia; Corresponding author. National Engineering School of Sfax, University of Sfax, Tunisia.
Important marine microorganisms are resources of renewable energy that may face global population growth and needs. The application of biomass metabolites, such as carotenoids and their derivatives, may solve some agro-food health problems. Herein, a new halophilic Archaea Halobacterium salinarum producing carotenoid was screened from a Tunisian solar Saltworks (Sfax). The identification of the carotenoid pigments was carried out using HPLC-MS/MS. The predominant pigments produced by this Halobacterium were bacterioruberin and its derivatives and the carotenoids production was found to be of 21.51 mg/mL. Moreover, the data revealed that the carotenoids extract exhibited a high antioxidant activity across four oxidizing assays. The present results suggested that carotenoids extracted from halophilic Archaea are interesting sources of natural antioxidants for future innovative applications in agro-food, cosmetic and health fields.
