Blakeslea trispora is known to be the most effective producer of lycopene. Lycopene is processed by lycopene cyclase which leads to the production of β-carotene. For industrial production of lycopene, Blakeslea trispora is grown with an lycopene cyclase inhibitor which can be introduced into the fermentation process. The zygospores of Blakeslea trispora tend to contain a maximum amount of lycopene. Lycopene is an intermediate in the biosynthesis of all dicyclic carotenoids including β-carotene.
