Anca Irina Galaction
University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Iasi, Romania
Title: Provitamin D2 – A balance between aerobic conditions and ergosterol production by Saccharomyces sp
Biography
Biography: Anca Irina Galaction
Abstract
Statement of the Problem: Ergosterol (ergosta-5,7,22-trien-3β-ol), also known as provitamin D2, is the
precursor of vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol), because it is converted under UV radiation to this vitamin. The
natural sources of ergosterol are mainly the yeasts, but it can be also found in fungus or plants. In the yeasts
cells, ergosterol is accumulated in membranes, especially in free form in the plasma-membrane, but also
as esters with fatty acids in membrane lipids. The purpose of this study was to analyze comparatively the
influence of aeration efficiency on ergosterol production by S. cerevisiae in batch and fed-batch fermentations,
by considering different levels of mixing intensity, aeration rate, and n-dodecane concentration.