Production of canthaxanthin by phaffia

A process for producing canthaxanthin and echinenone which comprises cultivating a recombinant microorganism which is expressing a β-carotene ketolase gene and belonging to the genus Xanthophyllomyces (Phaffia) and which accumulates β-carotene in an aqueous nutrient medium under aerobic conditions, and isolating the resulted carotenoids from the cells of said recombinant microorganism or from the cultured broth, wherein the β-carotene ketolase gene is originated from a microorganism which is selected from the group consisting of microorganisms of the genera Agrobacterium, Alcaligenes, Paracoccus and Haematococcus having the β-carotene ketolase gene.