Food-grade Astaxanthin

Astaxanthin (ASX) is a liposoluble carotenoid nutrient and reddish-orange pigment, naturally synthesized by numerous microalgae, yeasts, and bacteria as secondary metabolites. Among these sources, the microalga Haematococcus pluvialis is considered the most important source for the commercial production of ASX due to its highest natural synthesis of ASX. Haematococcus pluvialis may contain up to 3.8% of ASX on a dry weight basis. ASX plays a role in circulating lipoproteins and cell membranes, and has significant antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity. It also showed potential effects on various diseases, including cancers, hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, liver, neurodegenerative, and skin diseases. Due to its beneficial properties, the global consumption of ASX in food and nutraceuticals continues to increase. ASX products are utilized in pharmaceutical applications for various dosage forms, including tablets, capsules, soft gels, creams, oils, biomass, and granular powders. ASX can also be added to the food to improve the food's nutritional value and sensory quality.

Astaxanthin Product Options

Astaxanthin is a potent lipid-soluble antioxidant. It has broad application prospects in health products, medicine, cosmetics, food additives and aquaculture.

Food Grade Astaxanthin

Feed Grade Astaxanthin

Cosmetic Grade Astaxanthin

Pharmaceutical Grade Astaxanthin

Food Grade Astaxanthin Product Overview

Food-grade Astaxanthin is a naturally occurring carotenoid pigment widely used in food and nutraceutical applications due to its powerful antioxidant properties.

Product Type	Astaxanthin Content	Application Guide	Recommended Usage (as Astaxanthin)
Astaxanthin	≥ 2%	Feed for fish	70 mg/kg
		Feed for shrimp, crab	50 mg/kg
		Feed for chicken, duck, etc.	0.5 g/kg
		Nutritional paste, Meal replacement powder, etc.	9 mg/bag
		Hard capsules	9 mg/capsule
		Protein powder	0.6 ~ 0.9 g/kg
Astaxanthin Oil	≥ 5%	Soft capsules	6 mg/capsule
		Edible wine, Health wine, etc.	6 mg/50 ml
		Soft drinks	3 ~ 6 mg/250 ml
		Oral liquid	6 ~ 9 mg/50 ml
		Lotion, Lipstick, etc.	50 ~100 mg/kg
Astaxanthin Microencapsulated Powder	≥ 1%	Solid beverage	3 ~ 10 mg/bag
		Compressed candy, Gel candy, etc.	6 mg/candy
		Effervescent tablet	2 ~ 6 mg/tablet
		Nutritional paste, Meal replacement powder	9 mg/bag
		Functional beverage	2 ~ 6 mg/250 ml
		Protein powder	0.6 ~ 0.9 g/kg

Key Features

GRAS Status (Generally Recognized As Safe) in the U.S. for Haematococcus-derived forms
EFSA-Approved as novel food ingredient (up to 8 mg/day in EU)
Potent Antioxidant (up to 500x more than Vitamin E)
Stabilized Forms: Esterified, microencapsulated, or beadlet formulations for food use

Optimized Production Platform

Creative Biogene utilizes a wide range of microorganisms to produce hyaluronic acid for cosmetic uses. Our fermentation facility is fully equipped and complaint with the current good manufacturing practice. We can provide you with efficient solutions for large-scale manufacturing.

Astaxanthin Production

1. Microorganism Selection

Phaffia rhodozyma: A red yeast capable of synthesizing astaxanthin naturally.
Advantages:

GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) status in some regions.
Natural alternative to synthetic astaxanthin (petrochemical-derived).
High antioxidant capacity suitable for food, nutraceutical, and aquaculture uses.

2. Strain Improvement & Optimization

Mutagenesis: UV, EMS, or adaptive laboratory evolution to enhance astaxanthin yield.
Metabolic Engineering:

Overexpression of key pathway enzymes: CrtE, CrtYB, CrtI, CrtS.
Knock-out of competing pathways to redirect precursors (e.g., FPP).

3. Fermentation Process Development

Parameter	Description
Medium	Glucose/yeast extract + essential salts
Carbon Source	Glucose, glycerol, or waste sugar stream
Nitrogen Source	Yeast extract, ammonium sulfate
Temperature	20–22 °C
pH	5.5–6.5 (typically maintained with NaOH)
DO (Dissolved Oxygen)	Aerobic, >20% saturation
Fermentation Duration	4–6 days (batch or fed-batch)

Downstream Processing

1. Cell Harvesting – Centrifugation or filtration.

2. Cell Disruption – Bead milling or high-pressure homogenization.

3. Extraction – Food-grade ethanol, edible oil, or supercritical CO₂.

4. Purification – Chromatography or membrane filtration (optional).

5. Drying/Formulation – Spray drying, encapsulation, or oil suspension.

Final Product

Final product formats:
Astaxanthin-rich biomass (e.g., dried yeast)
Oleoresin extract (in edible oil)
Encapsulated powder (microcapsules or beadlets)
Astaxanthin purity: > 95% (monoesters + diesters)
Stability: 12 months at 4°C, protected from light
Regulatory compliance: EFSA (EU novel food), GRAS (US)

Comparison of Food-grade Astaxanthin Produced from Different Sources

Feature / Attribute	Phaffia rhodozyma (Yeast)	Haematococcus pluvialis (Microalgae)	Synthetic Astaxanthin (Petrochemical)
Source Type	Yeast (fungus-like)	Freshwater microalga	Chemical synthesis (petroleum-derived)
Form of Astaxanthin	3R,3’R stereoisomer (mainly)	Mixture (3S,3’S > 80%)	Racemic mixture (3S,3’S / 3R,3’R / meso)
Yield (mg/g dry weight)	0.3–0.5 mg/g	2–4 mg/g	Very high (pure compound)
Production Time	4–6 days (fast)	30–40 days (slow)	Rapid (industrial chemical process)
Production Cost	Moderate	High	Low
Regulatory Acceptance (Food)	Limited (approved in some countries)	Widely approved as a natural food pigment	Restricted to animal feed (not food)
GRAS Status (US)	Not GRAS (dietary supplement use allowed)	GRAS certified for certain uses	Not GRAS
Bioavailability	Moderate	High (especially in esterified forms)	Lower than natural sources
Safety / Allergenicity	Generally safe	Generally safe	Not natural – more scrutiny
Applications	Supplements, aquaculture, cosmetics	Functional foods, nutraceuticals	Mainly aquaculture (e.g., salmon feed)
Environmental Impact	Lower water use; scalable fermentation	High water and energy input	High carbon footprint
Color Hue	Reddish-orange	Deep red	Orange-red

* Additional Notes

Phaffia rhodozyma

Faster growth rate than algae; more suitable for industrial fermentation scaling.
However, astaxanthin yield is much lower than H. pluvialis.

Haematococcus pluvialis

Gold standard for natural astaxanthin used in human health products.
Has the highest natural astaxanthin content among known sources.
Long cultivation time and susceptible to contamination.

Synthetic Astaxanthin

Not approved for human consumption in many countries.
Often used in aquaculture due to cost-effectiveness.
Lower antioxidant activity compared to natural forms.

Customer Reviews

We were impressed by the consistent color and antioxidant potency of the yeast-derived astaxanthin. It integrates smoothly into our softgel capsule line and meets all our clean-label requirements. Customer feedback on energy and skin tone benefits has been very positive.

-Sarah Tan

Product Development Manager

The microencapsulated food-grade astaxanthin powder we sourced proved ideal for our ready-to-drink health smoothies. It offers great stability in acidic conditions and delivers a natural reddish hue without artificial additives.

-Luca Moretti

R&D Director

Using Phaffia rhodozyma-derived astaxanthin gave us a sustainable edge in salmonid feed formulation. Our trials showed excellent pigmentation results with no adverse effects on fish health. Customers appreciate the ‘natural-origin’ labeling.

-Dr. Andreas Falk

Technical Director

We've tried multiple sources, but this food-grade microbial astaxanthin exceeded our expectations in both purity and antioxidant performance. It's now a cornerstone ingredient in our eye and skin health line, and sales continue to grow.

-Jessica Liu

Co-Founder & Head of Formulation

Partner with Us

Whether you are looking for a reliable partner for small-scale R&D or large-scale commercial production of astaxanthin, our food-grade astaxanthin CDMO services provide the expertise, flexibility, and quality you need. From fermentation and purification to formulation and regulatory compliance, we are equipped to support every stage of your astaxanthin production process, helping you deliver superior products to your customers.