Carotenoid production by pressure fermentation

Abstract

A fermentative process for producing lycopene and / or beta-carotene as a product or intermediate is described herein. The process generally comprises: (a) providing a cell population of a eukaryotic microorganism having a metabolic pathway for the synthesis of lycopene and / or beta-carotene from phytoene; (b) culturing the cell population under production conditions enabling the synthesis of phytoene; and (c) applying a degree of pressure to the fermenter sufficient to shift carbon flux from phytoene towards lycopene / beta-carotene production, thereby reducing phytoene accumulation in the eukaryotic microorganisms as compared to in the absence of the applied pressure. The production conditions may further comprise using a lipid feedstock as a primary carbon source. Also described herein are microorganisms engineered for the production of lycopene and / or beta-carotene, as a product or intermediate.