Blakeslea trispora are further investigating whether the fungus "Blakeslea trispora" could be a potent effector of anti-aging because of its ability to efficiently mass produce amounts of lycopene. β-carotene is also a relevant component for human health and chronic diseases. β-carotene is a molecule which displays a red-orange pigment. Therefore, it is used as a coloring agent for food products. β-carotene is a member of carotenes which are highly unsaturated isoprene derivatives. Because "Blakeslea trispora" has an effective ability to produce great amount of β-carotene from lycopene, "Blakeslea trispora" is the main organism used for its production on an industrial scale. β-carotenes
Lycopene Lycopene is a key intermediate in the biosynthesis of carotenoids, such as beta-carotene, and xanthophylls. The unconditioned biosynthesis of lycopene in eukaryotic plants and in prokaryotic cyanobacteria is similar, as are the enzymes involved. Synthesis begins with mevalonic acid, which is converted into dimethylallyl pyrophosphate. This is then condensed with three molecules of isopentenyl pyrophosphate (an isomer of dimethylallyl pyrophosphate), to give the 20-carbon geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate. Two molecules of this product are then condensed in a tail-to-tail configuration to give the 40-carbon phytoene, the first committed step in carotenoid biosynthesis. Through several desaturation steps, phytoene is converted into lycopene. The