Abstract

The culture conditions for the production of trehalose by Rhodotorula sp. strain were optimized. The optimum medium contained (g/L) 20.1 sucrose, 8.15 yeast extract, 8.15 peptone, 1.81 NH₄Cl, 1.66 KH₂PO₄, 1.66 Na₂HPO₄, 0.84 MgSO₄, and 0.84 CaCl₂. In a shake flask, the optimal culture conditions were as follows: initial pH 5.5, temperature 28°C and medium volume 75 mL. Under optimum conditions, the production of trehalose was increased 2.3 times through optimization and comprised 193 mg/g biomass. In the case of a 5 L fermentor, the optimum culture time was 54 h and under optimal conditions, the production of trehalose was 2.45 g/L.

Key words: Trehalose, Rhodotorula sp., medium, culture conditions, optimization.