Astaxanthin is an oxygen-containing derivative of carotenoids contained in shrimp and crab shells, oysters, salmon and some algae. It can effectively quench active oxygen and has high nutritional and health value. As early as the 1930s, researchers isolated astaxanthin from shrimp and crab shells, but its physiological function did not attract widespread attention until the 1980s. Animal and clinical experimental studies have shown that astaxanthin has strong health functions such as anti-oxidation, enhancing immunity, and preventing cardiovascular diseases, and has broad application prospects.
What are the chemical properties of astaxanthin?
Astaxanthin mainly exists in free and esterified forms. Free astaxanthin is extremely unstable and easily oxidized. Usually chemically synthesized astaxanthin is in free form. Esterified astaxanthin exists stably because there is a hydroxyl group in the terminal ring structure of astaxanthin, which is easy to form esters with fatty acids. Astaxanthin on the skin and shells of aquatic animals, astaxanthin in Haematococcus pluvialis, and red yeast are mainly in esterified form. Esterified astaxanthin is divided into astaxanthin monoester and astaxanthin diester according to the different fatty acids it binds. After astaxanthin is esterified, its hydrophobicity is enhanced, and diesters are more lipophilic than monoesters; at the same time, esterified astaxanthin will form complexes with proteins to produce different colors.
- Antioxidant
Astaxanthin is a chain-breaking antioxidant with a strong antioxidant effect. The body can produce a small amount of oxygen free radicals in normal life activities such as respiratory chain electron transfer and oxidation of other substances in the body. When stimulated by chemical reagents, ultraviolet radiation, etc., a large amount of oxygen free radicals will be produced.
These free radicals can cause lipid peroxidation, amino acid oxidation, protein degradation and DNA damage on biological membranes, and can also cause chain reactions of unsaturated fatty acids on cell membranes, thereby affecting the composition of cells. Astaxanthin can not only quench singlet oxygen and directly remove oxygen free radicals, but also block the chain reaction of fatty acids.
Studies have found that the ability of various carotenoids to quench molecular oxygen is ranked as follows: astaxanthin>α-carotene>β-carotene>bioxylin>zeaxanthin>lutein>bilirubin>biliverdin. By comparing the effects of five carotenoids and their derivatives, including lutein, zeaxanthin, lycopene, isozeaxanthin and astaxanthin, with different numbers of conjugated double bonds in quenching reactive oxygen species during soybean oil photooxidation, it was found that the ability to quench reactive oxygen species increases with the increase of conjugated double bonds, and astaxanthin has the strongest quenching performance.
- Enhance immunity
In the study of the immunomodulatory effects of astaxanthin and carotenoids on the in vitro tissue culture system of mouse lymphocytes, it was found that astaxanthin has a strong immunomodulatory effect.
At the same time, in vitro studies of human blood cells also found that astaxanthin and carotenoids significantly promoted the production of antibodies when stimulated by TD-Ag, and the number of cells secreting IgG and IgM increased. Supplementation of astaxanthin can partially restore the production of antibodies in elderly mice in response to TD-Ag, which helps to restore the humoral immunity of elderly animals.
- Anti-ultraviolet radiation
Studies have shown that exposure of tissues such as skin to strong light, especially ultraviolet light, can cause single atomic oxygen and free radicals in cell membranes and tissues, causing oxidative damage to the body.
When the body takes in sufficient antioxidants from food, such as carotenoids represented by β-carotene, these damages can be effectively reduced. Carotenoids in nature play an important role in protecting tissues and resisting ultraviolet light oxidation.
Astaxanthin powder has the property of preventing UV radiation damage more effectively than β-carotene and lutein. On the other hand, astaxanthin has a special effect on transglutaminase, which can consume putrescine when the skin is exposed to light to prevent the accumulation of putrescine.
In Japan, a corresponding skin protection test was conducted on astaxanthin. The results showed that astaxanthin has a significant improvement effect on skin tension, moisture, tone, elasticity, smoothness, etc. Therefore, astaxanthin can be used as a potential UV radiation protector, which plays an important role in protecting cell membranes and mitochondrial membranes from oxidative damage, preventing skin photoaging, and maintaining skin health.
What are the applications of astaxanthin?
Astaxanthin can effectively remove free radicals generated by exercise in muscle cells, strengthen aerobic metabolism, and has significant anti-fatigue and anti-aging effects; it can significantly improve human immunity; it is the only carotenoid that can pass through the blood-brain barrier, has the advantage of antioxidant protection for the eyes, and has many important and unique health care functions and characteristics. It can also be used as a new functional food additive, as a food colorant, antioxidant, etc., to improve food quality and enhance the sensory perception of food.
- Application in anti-aging functional foods
Aging of the body is mainly caused by a large number of free radicals produced in the chain oxidation reaction in the mitochondria. If not removed in time, it will cause mitochondrial oxidative damage and accelerate the aging of the body's cells. Astaxanthin has extremely strong antioxidant activity and can efficiently remove oxygen free radicals, with an efficiency of more than 100 times that of VE.
Astaxanthin not only maintains strong antioxidant capacity, but also slows down age-related functional decline and helps resist aging. Therefore, adding astaxanthin to functional foods will help prevent a series of diseases caused by organ aging and improve people's health.
- Application in foods that enhance immune function
Astaxanthin can significantly promote the ability of spleen cells to produce antibodies in the presence of antigens, and enhance T cells to stimulate the production of blood cell immunoglobulins in the human body.
In the early stage of antigen invasion, astaxanthin can also enhance specific humoral immune responses. Astaxanthin has the best activity of inducing cell division, can increase the production of human immunoglobulins, and has an important immunoregulatory effect. Therefore, applying astaxanthin to health foods that enhance the body's immunity is an important direction for the development of astaxanthin.
- Application in eye protection functional foods
For humans and other animals, carotenoids in the diet are necessary to protect eye health. They can quench these damaging reactive oxygen species and help the retina resist oxidative damage. Studies have shown that astaxanthin can pass through the blood-brain barrier and effectively prevent retinal oxidation and damage to photoreceptor cells, indicating that astaxanthin has a good effect in preventing and treating "age-related macular degeneration" and improving retinal function.
Therefore, the application of astaxanthin powder in functional foods that protect vision and maintain eye health is a hot topic of research at home and abroad.
HSF Biotech's natural Astaxanthin
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Astaxanthin powder / Astaxanthin oil is a powerful natural carotenoid renowned for its exceptional antioxidant properties. Sourced from Haematococcus pluvialis, this vibrant red oil is an ideal ingredient for various applications, including health foods, dietary supplements, cosmetics, and animal nutrition. As the demand for natural ingredients continues to rise, It stands out as a superior choice for manufacturers looking to enhance the health benefits of their products.
Ready to explore the benefits of Astaxanthin for your business? Contact us today at sales@healthfulbio.com to discuss your needs, request samples, or learn more about our products. Let's unlock the potential of nature together!