Patent ID: 7799540

Claim:
Crystalline lycopene having a crystal purity, determined by spectrophotometric absorption of the crystals in n-hexane at 472 nm (E1% 1 cm=3450), greater than 95%, and being free of carotenoids other than lycopene, said crystalline lycopene being obtainable by a process comprising the following steps in succession a. Mixing (+) and (−) lycopene overproducer strains of Blakeslea trispora , whose ages of vegetative stage of growth has been controlled, in a culture medium biomass in suitable fermentation conditions for producing lycopene; b. Treatment of the culture medium biomass of step a) with alcohol and separation of a wet, purified biomass; c. Conditioning of the wet, purified biomass by drying and disintegration or breaking; d. Solid-liquid extraction of the lycopene contained in the purified biomass with an organic solvent, controlling the temperature and the time of dissolution in function of the organic solvent used; e. Concentration of the enriched lycopene extract; f. Precipitation/crystallization of the lycopene from the concentrated extract by addition of alcohol to form a crystalline liquor; and g. Filtration of crystals of lycopene from the crystalline liquor and drying.