The most active natural antioxidants are carotinoid pigments with unique ß-carotene among them. This antioxidant number 1 is the most biologically active. The presence of the coupled binary ties C=C determines the absorption of the . various free radicals, protecting cell from mutagens and cancerogens (carcinogens), ionizing radiation, and chemical compounds, reduces oxidation of the membrane lipids, and evades the damage of the membrane-connected ferments, system of the endoplasm reticulum, cytochrome-450, ß-carotene- immunomodulator, has an anti-inflammatory effect and vitamin properties.

It is widely applied in the following branches of the food processing industry : confectionary, meat and dairy, perfumery, bakery and macaroni as an additive to child's nourishment. It is used in poultry, fish, and fur farming and in agriculture as an additive to the ration of the dairy and meat cattle.

P-carotene of microbiological origin is biologically justified (96%-98% ß-carotene has the most active trans- formula). It is not toxic, which has been tested on animals of different classes. The condition of the respiratory and cardiovascular systems, liver, and kidneys is in accordance with norms; blood condition is as follows: quantity of gamma globulin, erythrocytes, leucocytes, White Blood Count (WBC), blood coagulation during the time of fibrin formation, content of total blood protein (serum protein) in Serum of blood are in accordance with the norm.

Cumulative effect, teratogen and embryo toxic effects are absent.

Industrial production of (3-carotene started with Blakeslea trispora 64 (+) n 490 (-) strains. Activity of the present strain (according to the certificate) equaled 70000- 100000 units/100 milliliter of the culture liquid.

Rolling into beads was distinguishing in the strain's growth nature, which worsened mass exchange and reduced activity to a considerable extent.

Later strain 8A (+) and 8A (-) has been obtained, whose activity was 24% higher than that of the prototype. Then there were selection strains Kl (+)-Kl (-) and K2 (+)-K2 (-), which considerably differed from the strain-prototype.

Their activity was 1,5-2 times more than that of 8A (-) and 8A (+), and the duration of the biosynthesis process has been reduced from 112 to 72 hours. Furthermore, a cell wall of the present strains possessed less chitin and was more open to the activity of the ß-carotene extracting substances ; hence, they were more technological. Finally, strain VSD-1 was obtained by means of 30% oil suspension of the crystal carotene and riphampicin in concentration of 500 microgram/milliliter. The strain had higher activity ouf carotene on the background of some technological changes during the fermentation.

The traditional estimation of the strain effectiveness is its biosynthetically activity expressed in weight units of the target product per 100 milliliter of the cultured liquid in gram/liter or in microgram/100 milliliter. This indicator does not fully reflect an objective character of the effectiveness and some other significant biotechnological indicators. In particular an ability of biomass accumulation and the duration of the biosynthesis are not taken into consideration, which crucially affects final technical and

economic indices of the industrial production. Taking into account everything said above and also the increasing requirements of the international market, the effectiveness evaluation of the new strains is shifted towards the strain productivity.

At present, the productivity indicator was considered to be the foreground criterion for the new strain evaluation expressed in kilograms (kg) of the target product, obtained per unit of the geometrical volume of the fermenter (m3) per unit of time (an hour): (kg/m3/hr). This can be expressed in a formula: Q-quantity of-carotene in dried biomass, kilogram ; V-geometrical volume of the fermenter, m3 ; T-fermentation duration, hour.

The strains TKST (+) and TKST (-), descending from Kl (+) and S1 (-), have been obtained from the fungus selection by means of 20% diphenylamine (m. m. 169, 2 Sigma) with the further treatment by sodium of the nicotinic acid 1000-1300 microgram/milliliter (m. m. 145,1 Sigma-Aldrich). The selection has been carried out simultaneously on two (+) and (-) sexual forms.

The strain possesses following cultural--morphological and physiological-biochemical qualities: (+) form has well developed air mycelium ranging from gray to yellow color, substrate mycelium is well developed, compact, yellow with intensive spore-bearing (stylo sporangium-50-100 mkm ; sporangium-elliptic-spherical, 12-

16-10-14 mkm, three-spore ; sporangium spores-elliptical, 14-18 mkm, light-snuff color with prolonged stripes.

(-) form has developed yellow air mycelium ; solid substrate mycelium, which in tern has an intensive color ranging from yellow to orange. Spore bearing is less pronounced than in (+) sexual form.

During the concurrent culturing of (+) and (-) sexual forms on Petri plates substrate mycelium in the contact points has a wide 3-3,5 centimeter zone ranging in color from intensive orange to crimson, with well pronounced features of (Car+), and absent phenotype features of sexual interaction (Zyg-).

During the deep-laid culturing mycelium has a high number of fruit sprouts, well-developed with typical apical growth (physiologically active culture). Mycelium is filled with (3-carotene in crystals, and also with ß-carotene yellow drops dissolved in fat. Mycelium reacts well to methylene blue: young culture turns blue, old culture turns indigo.

Optimal vivifying environments are wort-agar and 5-6% corn-steep agar. The growth is worse in mold agar, Chapek environment, and MPA.

For deep-laid culturing the sowing and fermentation environments of the following content, are used (%) : Soy flour-2, 3 Green treacle-2,5-4, 5 Corn flour-4, 7 Corn extract-4,0-8, 0 KH2 PO9-0, 05 Sunflower seed oil-3,0-5, 0 Vitamin B1 (triamine) -0,0002 Tap water pH = 6,2-6, 4 Tap water pH = 6,2-6, 4 Sterilization period of the environment in autoclave at 120-122°C is 40 minutes.

Sowing environments are poured into 750 milliliter retorts-150 milliliter per () form-sowed and grown during 48 hours at the rockers (200-240 turn/minute) at 28°C.

Then the biomass accumulation is determined, and subject to this, fermentation environments are sowed in 1: 1,5 and 1: 9 ratios.

Fermentation environments are also poured into 750 milliliter retorts in quantity of 50 milliliter and are brought up under the same conditions. Activities have been determined on FEK-56 M, KFL-UHL-42, and KFK-3 with a blue optical filter (X =451 nm), in 1-centimeter cuvettes.

The biomass has been filtered, rinsed, and dried. The productivity has been determined from the earlier formula.

Results obtained in the industrial production (data from 10 operations), q, kg/m3/hr.

Strain-prototype Strain TKST 0,01 0,034 0,0089 0,035 0,011 0,039 0,013 0,041 0,016 0,036 0,018 0,037 0,005 0,039 0,008 0,037 0,012 0,032 0,011 0,036 Thereby, results obtained in the industrial production from the TKST strain indicate that its productivity ranges from 0,032 to 0,041 kg/m3/hr, which exceeds the productivity of the prototype strain (0,011-0, 018 kg/m3/hr) 3-3,5 times.