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In the present study, the effect of various fermentation media on the production of carotenoid pigment in a ra dia tion-resistant strain of Dietzia maris was reported. The biomass and pigment production of this strain was eva luated using various sources of carbon and nitrogen as well as different concentrations of whey medium. The anti oxidant and cytotoxic activities of the extracted pigment were also determined using ferric reducing anti oxidant power (FRAP), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radicals (DPPH), and MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) assays. The antibacterial activity of the carotenoid pigment was also evaluated. All carbon sources increased the pigment production of D. maris in the following order: glucose > raffinose = starch = xylose > sorbitol > sucrose. However, only glucose, xylose, and sorbitol significantly increased the microbial biomass as compared to the control. Moreover, all organic nitrogen sources and ammonium sulfate enhanced the pigment production of the studied strain by approximately 6–9 folds. The free radical scavenging capacity and FRAP of the D. maris carotenoid extract were reported as half-maximal effective concentration or EC50= 3.30 mg/ml and EC50 = 28.46 μg/ml, respectively. The maximum amount of biomass and carotenoid pigment produced by D. maris was obtained in the fermentation medium containing 1 g/l glucose and 1 g/l yeast extract (18 mg/l). This strain can be considered as a promising biocatalyst for the commercial production of natural carotenoids due to its antioxidant capacity and noncytotoxic activity.

In the present study, the effect of various fermentation media on the production of carotenoid pigment in a radiation-resistant strain of