Effects of Various Environmental Conditions on Pulcherrimin Production and Extracellular Enzyme Profiles of Metschnikowia pulcherrima

The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of various stress conditions on pulcherrimin pigment secretion and extracellular enzyme profiles of isolated Metschnikowia pulcherrima yeast strains. In order to analyse the effects of heat stress and osmotic stress on pulcherrimin pigment synthesis, different temperatures and NaCl concentrations were used, respectively. The enzymatic profiles of M. pulcherrima yeast strains were determined by API-ZYM. The results indicated that the amount of pigment synthesis and the localization were changed depending on the growth conditions. All yeast strains showed a high leucine arylamidase, valine arylamidase, alpha-glucosidase and beta-glucosidase activities.