Carotenoid production using microorganisms

A wide variety of carotenoids are biosynthesized by plants, algae, fungi, and bacteria. They appear to play a range of roles in these organisms, especially light-harvesting in plants and protecting cells from oxidative damage. Natural carotenoids for applications in human and animal nutrition are extracted from a number of natural plant sources, and, in the last 25 years, several algal, fungal, and yeast sources have also been developed as commercial sources of β-carotene and astaxanthin. Microbial sources of other carotenoids, such as lycopene, lutein, zeaxanthin, and canthaxanthin, are also being developed. Genetic engineering also provides a powerful tool for understanding the carotenoid biosynthetic pathways and their control and this information can be used to optimize production systems