Patent ID: 7687246

Claim:
A biological process for producing carotenoids including astaxanthin, the process comprising cultivating a microorganism which is Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous ( Phaffia rhodozyma ) ATCC96594, redeposited under accession No. ATCC 74438, in the presence of [3-(3-allyl-biphenyl-4-yloxy)-propyl]-isopropyl-amine, a substrate for producing carotenoids which include astaxanthin, in an aqueous nutrient medium under aerobic conditions wherein the concentration of the inhibitor in the aqueous medium is from 0.5 μg/ml to 5.0 μg/ml, and isolating the resulting carotenoids which include astaxanthin, from the cells of said microorganism or from the cultured medium.