Improved Lycopene Production from Different Substrates by Mated Fermentation of Blakeslea Trispora

The production of lycopene from different substrates by Blakeslea trispora in fermentation was investigated. Lycopene productions from 4 and 6 % glucose (pH 6.5) in shake flask fermentation were 77.7 and 28.1 mg L-1. A maximum lycopene concentration of 944.8 mg L-1 was detected with 4 % glucose supplemented with 1.0 % sunflower oil in fermentor studies. Zygospores of B. trispora are the morphological forms, which are responsible for the production of the lycopene. The highest level of zygospores was correlated with the highest amount of intracellular lycopene in the total biomass dry weight. The media containing only orange peel (1 %) gave a 4.9 mg L-1 lycopene production in a fermentor. The presence of oils as substrates resulted in enhanced mold growth and subsequent higher lycopene production. Substrates containing linoleic acid compounds led to high lycopene production. The data showed that the biosynthesis of lycopene starts in most cases simultaneously in the early growth phase even in trace amounts and the amount of lycopene formation increased continuously from 2 to 7 days.