The striking reddish-pink colour of the phylloplane yeast
Sporobolomyces roseus was found to be due to three major carotenoid
pigments which were identified by UV and mass spectra as β-carotene,
torulene and torularhodin. Simple protocols for the extraction of
these pigments and their visual separation by thin-layer chromatography
are presented. Ultrastructurally, the pigments were localized within
numerous small lipid droplets. Putative physiological roles and the biotechnological relevance of carotenoids from red yeasts are discussed.