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Abstract
Astaxanthin from Haematococcus pluvialis is commercially produced in a two-stage process, involving green vegetative (macrozooid) and red aplanospore stages. This approach has been scaled up to an industrial process but constraints limit its commercial success and profitability, including: contamination issues, high pigment extraction costs, requirements for high light levels and photo-bleaching in the red stage. However, in addition to the aplanospore stage, this alga can produce astaxanthin in vegetative palmelloid and motile macrozooid cells. In this study, a two-stage process utilising different media in the green stage, with subsequent re-suspension in medium without nitrate was employed to optimise the formation of red motile macrozooids. Optimal growth in the green phase was obtained on cultivation under mixotrophic conditions in EG:JM media followed by re-suspension in medium without nitrate resulting in red motile macrozooids with an astaxanthin content of 2.74% (78.4% of total carotenoids) and a lipid content of 35.3% (rich in unsaturated fatty acids. It is envisaged that the red motile macrozooids could be harvested and fed as a whole-cell product directly in the animal feed and aquaculture sectors, or used as a blend of carotenoids and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in nutraceutical products.
Highlights
Astaxanthin is a high value keto-carotenoid synthesised from ß-carotene by the introduction of hydroxyl and keto-moieties at the 3,3’ and 4,4’ positions of the ß-ionone rings
Astaxanthin is found in many organisms through dietary intake but the primary producers of this carotenoid are limited; a range of microorganisms and plants e.g., bacteria, algae, fungi and members of the Adonis genus in higher plants (Table S1, Supplementary Materials)
The purity of astaxanthin produced by H. pluvialis is much higher than other microalgae and can reach 95% of the total carotenoids [3,4]
Summary
Astaxanthin is a high value keto-carotenoid synthesised from ß-carotene by the introduction of hydroxyl and keto-moieties at the 3,3’ and 4,4’ positions of the ß-ionone rings. Astaxanthin is found in many organisms through dietary intake but the primary producers of this carotenoid are limited; a range of microorganisms and plants e.g., bacteria, algae, fungi and members of the Adonis genus in higher plants (Table S1, Supplementary Materials). The purity of astaxanthin produced by H. pluvialis is much higher than other microalgae and can reach 95% of the total carotenoids [3,4]. Most studies report a carotenoid composition of 85% astaxanthin [5,6]. This alga has been extensively studied and is the organism of choice for those developing commercial-scale processes [7,8,9,10,11]
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