Astaxanthin (3,3-dihydroxy-,-carotene-4,4-dione) is a
carotenoid pigment which confers a characteristic coloration to
some birds, crustaceans and salmons. It has been increasingly
used as a feed and food pigment in the aquaculture industry,
and has also been regarded as a potential functional food and
pharmaceutical supplement because of its excellent antioxidant
activity [1,2]. Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous (formerly Phaffia
rhodozyma) is an excellent astaxanthin-producing yeast and
a promising producer of dietary astaxanthin through fermentation
technology [3,4]. However, commercial application of
X. dendrorhous fermentation for astaxanthin production is still
hampered by the relatively lowproductivity compared with other
chemical and biological processes.