Sources of astaxanthin

The animal body with weak capacity of absorb synthetic astaxanthin and synthetic astaxanthin, and synthesis of astaxanthin’s coloring ability of biological performance is lower than natural astaxanthin. Currently, astaxanthin manufacturerproduce astaxanthin mainly extract from aquatic waste and large-scale production of single-cell algae and yeast.

Astaxanthin extracted from aquatic waste, this method is mainly extracted from crustaceans, aquatic waste. These waste of astaxanthin content is very low, and calcareous components in the waste extract is required prior to removal, with higher extraction costs and serious environmental pollution. Extracted astaxanthin by aquatic waste, with uneven structure type and could not be controlled, and it is mixture of left-handed, right-handed, racemic astaxanthin, the effect of healthcare can not be guaranteed. The world, although there are a lot of countries’ enterprises using this method for preparing astaxanthin, but they are mostly use as aquaculture feed additives and industrial colorants.

Use algae to produce astaxanthin, the best astaxanthin is a natural left-handed astaxanthin only by the microalgae body's own synthesis. Including pluvialis algae, the lake red ball algae. In the pluvialis algal, the astaxanthin content is up to 10 ~ 40mg.g-1, which is the highest biological nature astaxanthin content. Pluvialis algal astaxanthin 100% L-structure, its structural stability, the same as the astaxanthin structure in human and animal body, conducive to absorption, can achieve the variety of biological effects to the maximum extent.

The use of large-scale farming of red ball algae produces astaxanthin is an important way to the current natural astaxanthin industrial production. Red ball algae produces astaxanthin is generally divided into two stages, that cultured the red ball algae under optimal growth conditions, make the cells obtain the maximum biomass, and then by changing the culture conditions induced a massive accumulation of astaxanthin. Light is an important factor that induced a massive accumulation of astaxanthin, astaxanthin synthesis is proportional to the light intensity and illumination time, the blue light is more conducive than red light to the synthesis of astaxanthin. The high temperatures also contribute to the accumulation of astaxanthin, high carbon and nitrogen than the red ball algae can also be induced by a large number of synthetic astaxanthin. Add salt is conducive to the accumulation of astaxanthin in low light. Add active oxygen in the popular ball algae medium, red ball algae synthesis shrimp astaxanthin quenching active oxygen radicals to resist adversity caused by oxidative damage. Red ball algae astaxanthin content is high, but the long culture period, need to enzymatic hydrolysis and broken free astaxanthin, which screened the fast growth of the thin-walled algal cells has become a top priority.

Currently, many countries are mostly using Phaffia yeast to produce astaxanthin. Yeast accumulated astaxanthin carbon source glucose and cellobiose, yeast extract and peptone as nitrogen source, the appropriate amount of tomato juice, corn syrup and pinene acid to improve the content of astaxanthin in the yeast. Under aerobic conditions, the production of astaxanthin is increased with the increase in the amount of oxygen. Yeast as the source of pigment development has many favorable conditions, such as do not need light, heterotrophic metabolism, fast growth, high density to be cultured and so on, Phaffia yeast culture with cheap cellulase hydrolyzate astaxanthin content can reach 720 ~ 1080ug.g-1, compared to the red ball algae, yeast astaxanthin content is too low. And the structure of yeast from astaxanthin form were right-handed, compared to the L-shrimp astaxanthin, the antioxidant capacity and other treatment, health benefits was not as good. Therefore, astaxanthin from red hair yeast fermentation is mostly use as cosmetic raw materialand health products.

Source:http://www.cosprm.com