A semi-industrial process (800-l fermentor) for lycopene production by mated fermentation of Blakeslea trispora plus (+) and minus (-) strains has been developed. The culture medium was designed at the flask scale, using a program based on a genetic algorithm; and a fermentation process by means of this medium was developed. Fermentation involves separate vegetative phases for (+) and (-) strains and inoculation of the production medium with a mix of both together. Feeding with imidazole or pyridine, molecules known to inhibit lycopene cyclase enzymatic activity, enhanced lycopene accumulation. Different raw materials and physical parameters, including dissolved oxygen, stirring speed, air flow rate, temperature, and pH, were checked in the fermentor to get maximum lycopene production. Typical data for the fermentation process are presented and discussed. This technology can be easily scaled-up to an industrial application for the production of this carotenoid nowadays widely in demand.

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It was the objective of the present study to increase the production of glucoamylase by Aspergillus awamori through solid state fermentation, using wheat bran as the main carbon source and (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 , urea, KH 2 PO 4 , glucose, maltose and starch as additional nitrogen, phosphorus, and carbon sources. The production of glucoamylase is strongly influenced by N and C sources. A 100 % increase was observed when the (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 was replaced by urea, with C/N = 4.8, using maltose as the additional carbon source. C/P ratios in a range of 5.1 to 28.7 did not induce glucoamylase production under the studied conditions.

Extrato aquoso de C-ficocianina de Spirulina platensis, com e sem resíduos celulares, foi purificado em sistema aquoso bifásico (SAB) polietilenoglicol (PEG)/fosfato de potássio variando-se a massa molar do PEG, a pH 6, mais promissor do que a pH 7. Para os ensaios realizados com cada massa molar, com diferentes percentuais de PEG e sal, as concentrações (mg mL -1 ), as purezas (OD 620/OD 280) e os coeficientes de partição da C-ficocianina de cada sistema foram determinados e comparados. O processo para a purificação primária de C-ficocianina intracelular com resíduos celulares (integrado), composto por 15% de PEG 1500 e 13% de fosfato de potássio de 5% de PEG 4000 e 18% de sal, alcançaram concentrações de C-ficocianina de, respectivamente, 1,60 e 2,67 mg mL -1 na fase de topo. As purezas foram de 0,73 e 0,79, respectivamente, valores superiores aos obtidos nos sistemas sem resíduos celulares.Crude C-phycocyanin extracts from Spirulina platensis, with and without cell debris, were purified in aqueous two-phase systems (ATPS) varying the molar mass of the PEG, at pH 6, more promising than at pH 7. For the assays carried out with each molar mass, with distinct percentages of PEG and salt, the concentrations (mg mL -1 ), purities (OD 620/OD 280) and C-phycocyanin partition coefficients of each system were determined and compared. The process for the primary purification of intracellular C-phycocyanin with cell debris (integrated), composed of 15% of PEG 1500 and 13% of potassium phosphate and 5% of PEG 4000 and 18% of salt, produced C-phycocyanin concentrations of, respectively, 1.60 and 2.67 mg mL -1 in the top phase. The purities were of 0.73 and 0.79 respectively, values higher than those obtained in the systems without cells.

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