Research progress on extraction, biological activities and delivery systems of natural astaxanthin

Publication date: Available online 24 July 2019Source: Trends in Food Science & TechnologyAuthor(s): Tong Zhao, Xiaojia Yan, Lijun Sun, Tianxin Yang, Xin Hu, Zixin He, Fuguo Liu, Xuebo LiuAbstractBackgroundAstaxanthin (AST) is a kind of carotenoid natural pigment that has been widely found in plants, crustaceans’ shell, flamingos’ feathers and microorganisms. Due to its various biological activities, AST has suggested as an important compound in biochemical researches and has great application potentials in cosmetics, human nutritional health products, as well as medicines. Unfortunately, the poor water solubility, chemical instability and low oral bioavailability make AST difficult to be applied in food systems. Besides, the amount of natural AST is limited, and how to extract and utilize AST efficiently is in great demand.Scope and approachThis review highlights the considerable potential of AST products in food processing by evaluating the advantages and disadvantages of different extraction strategies. Moreover, AST have some shortages on physicochemical properties, which limits its application in foods. Therefore, the review focuses on the comparison and discussion of different AST-loaded delivery systems, as well as its application status.Key findings and conclusionsNatural AST are commonly extracted from Haematococcus pluvialis, crustaceans, and bird feathers by corresponding appropriate methods. Solvent extraction, oil stripping, enzymatic hydrolysis, supercritica...
Source: Trends in Food Science and Technology - Category: Food Science Source Type: research