Analysis and Comparison of the Carotenoids of Sarcinu flava and S. lutea

Abstract
The carotenoid pigments of S. flava (Staphylococcus afermentans) and S. lutea were extracted, purified and separated by thin-layer chromatography into 7 fractions. These fractions were hydrocarbon or polar materials. The 2 bacteria appeared to synthesize identical pigments which could be complexed in vivo to different proteins or to different amounts of a protein, which would explain the apparent differences in the color of colonies of the 2 bacteria when grown on nutrient agar.