- ASTAXANTHIN, a
member of the carotenoid family, is a dark-red pigment which is the main
carotenoid found in the marine world of algae and aquatic
animals.
- ASTAXANTHIN is
present in many types of seafood, including salmon, trout, red sea
bream, shrimp and lobster, as well as in birds such as flamingo and
quail. This pigment is commercially produced from the microalga
Haematococcus pluvialis, the richest known natural source for
ASTAXANTHIN.
- The chemical
difference between natural and synthetic ASTAXANTHIN lies in the
stereochemical orientation of the molecules in space (those different
molecules are called “enantiomers”).
- A demand for
natural ASTAXANTHIN is now emerging in the fast-growing, multi-billion
dollar nutraceutical market; in particular, increasing evidence suggests
that ASTAXANTHIN was shown to be a much more powerful antioxidant than
vitamins C and E, or than other carotenoids such as beta-carotene,
lycopene, lutein and zeaxanthin, among others.
The levels of
astaxanthin deposited in Haematococcus pluvialis can exceed by a factor
of 1,000 to 10,000 the amount of astaxanthin found in the flesh of
various species of salmon.
- Haematococcus
pluvialis is believed to accumulate the highest levels of ASTAXANTHIN in
nature. Commercially grown Haematococcus pluvialis can accumulate more
than 40 g of ASTAXANTHIN per kilo of dry biomass.
- Today, essentially
all commercial ASTAXANTHIN for aquaculture is produced synthetically
from petrochemical sources, with an annual turnover of over $200
million, and a selling price of ~$2000 per kilo of pure ASTAXANTHIN.
Other developing applications for synthetic ASTAXANTHIN include
poultry and egg production.
- ASTAXANTHIN
producers have conducted several studies in recent years to demonstrate
the safety of natural ASTAXANTHIN derived from
Haematococcus.
- The Hawaiian
companies Cyanotech Corporation and Mera Pharmaceuticals cultivate the
algae using an open pond system for the "Red Stage." The Japanese
company Fuji Chemicals operates an indoor facility in Sweden and its
"dome-shaped" bioreactors in Hawaii.
- Frost &
Sullivan estimates that astaxanthin is now one of the fastest growing
carotenoids in Europe.
- An expanding
carotenoids market is witnessing a face-off between synthetic and
natural carotenoids as customers become increasingly conscious about
food content. With Europeans' diet beginning to include greater amounts
of fortified foods, the natural segment has begun to gain on the
synthetic one. While cheaper synthetic imports from China and India are
threatening the profits of European manufacturers, natural carotenoids
are likely to generate greater revenues as they are nearly four times
more expensive than their synthetic equivalents. Increasing promotion of
natural carotenoids and their growing demand in the developing dietary
supplements market are driving the natural segment
further.
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