Astaxanthin is a carotenoid with a ketone like structure. Its antioxidant capacity is 550 times that of vitamin E. It is precisely because of its strong antioxidant ability that it can remove oxidative free radicals produced by sunlight or cell aging, thereby protecting the eyes and skin of the human body, reducing the harm of solar radiation to the human body, preventing vascular aging of the heart, preventing the occurrence of cancer, and preventing Alzheimer's disease. Astaxanthin has a wide range of applications in health products, cosmetics, and other fields, which has led to an increasing market demand for Astaxanthin softgels. Astaxanthin, as a super antioxidant, mainly comes from the following sources:
Chemical synthesis Astaxanthin
The content of artificially synthesized astaxanthin is mainly in a cis structure and cannot be converted into a natural trans configuration in the human body. The US Food Administration (FDA) only approves the use of artificially synthesized astaxanthin as an additive in aquaculture, and the Ministry of Agriculture of China issued a similar regulation in Announcement 318 of 2011. Animal bodies have weaker absorption capacity for chemically synthesized astaxanthin, and their coloring ability and biological potency are much lower compared to natural astaxanthin. With the rise of the natural astaxanthin industry, this inefficient product will gradually be phased out.
Haematococcus pluvialis Astaxanthin
According to current knowledge, Haematococcus pluvialis is the microalgae with the highest content of astaxanthin, and it is also the species with the highest accumulation of astaxanthin synthesis among all known organisms. Its accumulation can reach up to 4% of cell dry weight.
In addition to rain borne red algae, green algae such as Chlamydomonas, Chlorella, Scenedesmus, Chlorella, and Snow algae also accumulate more or less astaxanthin under adverse environmental conditions; The content of astaxanthin in Euglena sanguinea can also reach 0.5% of the cell dry weight. However, the drawbacks of these astaxanthin synthesizing green algae, including Haematococcus pluvialis, are that they typically grow slowly and require a longer culture cycle; The accumulation of astaxanthin is a product of stress, and it is not synthesized or rarely synthesized under normal growth conditions. During the growth process of Rhodococcus pluvialis, in a comfortable environment, the green cells of Rhodococcus pluvialis can move and mainly reproduce through division. Under harsh conditions, such as lack of nutrition or dryness, cells can lose their motility and form thick cell walls that exist in the form of spores. When transformed into this spore form, Haematococcus pluvialis will aggregate starch and fat as energy and carbon sources for the cells. When fat is synthesized, cells produce astaxanthin.
Astaxanthin softgels, as an antioxidant, can protect fats from oxidation and protect DNA strands within cells from the effects of ultraviolet radiation. This sac-shaped form of algae becomes an immobile spore, and in this form, it can survive for a long time even under harsh conditions. The content of astaxanthin is inversely proportional to the protein content in Rhodococcus pluvialis. The more mature the haematococcus pluvialis, the higher its astaxanthin content and lower its protein content. The higher the protein, the poorer the stability of the product, which also means that the quality of the product is worse.
Waste from crustacean processing
The shells of crustaceans contain astaxanthin, which can be extracted from discarded shells. Currently, the shrimp and crab processing industry produces tens of millions of tons of waste from crustacean aquatic products every year. However, the content of astaxanthin in crustaceans is very low, while the ash and chitin content is high, which greatly limits the extraction and reuse of astaxanthin.
At present, the silage technology used in countries such as Norway has a high recovery rate (180pg/g waste) and a higher purity than other treatment methods. But its output is still relatively low and the purity of the product is not high. Moreover, its production conditions are demanding and production costs are high. Therefore, currently only a few countries use this approach to produce astaxanthin.
Fungal synthesis of astaxanthin
Some fungi can also synthesize astaxanthin, such as red yeast, deep red yeast, sticky red yeast, etc. Among them, the accumulation of astaxanthin in Rhodotorula is relatively high, reaching around 0.05% of the cell dry weight in wild strains, and up to 0.3% in some mutant strains. Moreover, astaxanthin is the main component in the synthesized carotenoids, making it a commonly used strain for microbial fermentation to produce astaxanthin. Red hair yeast is also considered the most suitable source of astaxanthin besides Rhodococcus pluvialis. However, the accumulation of astaxanthin in yeast is also influenced by various environmental factors during fermentation, which will change with changes in the fermentation medium. It is also greatly affected by temperature, pH value, dissolved oxygen, carbon and nitrogen sources, etc.
In addition, similar to the red algae, the accumulation of astaxanthin in the red yeast is also a contradiction with the growth rate of the cell, often resulting in a corresponding decrease in the yield of the cell when changing fermentation conditions to increase the synthesis of astaxanthin.
What conclusion can be drawn about astaxanthin supplement?
The main sources of astaxanthin include shrimp shells, crab shells, and yeast, but freshwater pluvialis is a high-quality source of astaxanthin soft capsules with stronger activity and higher content. Therefore, when taking Astaxanthin softgels, we need to choose the one extracted from Haematococcus pluvialis. The higher the purity, the higher the extraction process, the higher the absorbance, and the better the activity retention. The supercritical CO2 extraction technology is the best in the industry, with high machine and equipment costs, and is also a point of distinguishing the strength of manufacturers.
If you’ll plan to add natural astaxanthin supplement to your routines, you could get in touch with our factory experts for samples trial via email wmbetty@sxhmjk.com or WhatsApp at 8613227842284.
