Abstract: The invention consists of fermenting selected strains of Blakeslea trispora in conditions such that ?-carotene is produced in the form of stabilized preparations with residual contents of other carotenoids (?-carotene and ?-zeacarotene). The fermentation conditions chosen include the programmed addition of oxygen and/or ?-ionone during fermentation, and control of the age of the vegetative growth phases of the strains employed. The ?-carotene obtained can be used in the pharmaceutical and food sectors.

Abstract: Enzymatic process for the preparation of cephalosporanic 7&bgr;-(4-carboxybutanamide) acid by using the modified enzyme D-aminoacid oxidase of Trigonopsis variabilis produced in Escherichia coli. The process for the expression of the enzyme comprises: (I) isolating the DNA corresponding to gene which codes for the enzyme D-aminoacid oxidase; (II) removing the intron which is contained in said gene; (III) inserting the DNA fragment obtained into the plasmide which is capable of replication in Escherichia coli; (IV) fusing at the extremity 5′ of the structural region of the gene a synthetic assembler which contains a nucleotide sequence which codes for six histidines; (V) transforming a strain of Escherichia coli with the resulting recombinant plasmide; (VI) cultivating the transformed cells of Escherichia coli; and (VII) recovering the enzyme D-aminoacid oxidase of the former cultivation operation through affinity chromatography.