Guevara González, Ramón Gerardo; Torres Pacheco, Irineo; Rico García, Enrique; Ocampo Velázquez, Rosalía Virginia; Mercado Luna, Adán; Castañeda Miranda, Rodrígo; Solís Sánchez, Luis Octavio; Alaniz Lumbreras, Daniel; Gómez Loenzo, Roberto; Herrera Ruíz, Gilberto; Soto Zarazúa, Genaro Martín
Resumen:
β-carotene is a secondary metabolite that is a hydrocarbon carotene predominantly
located in lower concentrations in PS II functioning as a helper to harvest light pigment
during photosynthesis and to dissipate excess energy before damage occurs. As other
carotenes, β-carotene is uniquely synthesized in plants, algae, fungi and bacteria. βcarotene is the main diet precursor of pro-vitamin A. Additionally, β-carotene serves as
an essential nutrient and is in high demand in the market as a natural food colouring
agent, as an additive to cosmetics and also as a health food. Several approaches have
been carried out in order to increase β-carotene production in algae, bacteria, fungi and
plants using biotechnological and engineering focuses. In the case of plants, such species
as the tomato have important β-carotene contents, which are theoretically amenable to
management using approaches such as fertilization, growth conditions and mild stress.
On the other hand, greenhouse structures can protect crops from wind and rain, and can
also protect from insects when fitted with insect exclusion screens. β-carotene production
could potentially be improved and enhanced in greenhouse conditions in plants as well as in algae, based on the exclusion of the structure, and the possibility of controlling aspects
such as climate, fertilization and stress management, among others. Production of βcarotene (and other secondary metabolites) from several organisms in greenhouse
conditions should be an interesting future approach, visualizing the greenhouse as a
“factory” in frontier technologies such as biotechnology and mechatronics in order to
optimize this production.