Chemistry name: (3S,3'S)-3,3'-dihydroxy-β,β-Carotene-4,4'-dione

Synonyms:  3,3'-Dihydroxy-β-carotene-4,4'-dione; trans-Astaxanthin

CAS No.: 472-61-7

EINECS No.: 207-451-4

Chemical formula:  C40H52O4

Molecular mass:  596.839 g/mol

Definition:

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Nutrivitas®Astaxanthin Health Benefits:

Nutrivitas®Astaxanthin is a non-vitamin A source of ketocarotenoids that cannot be converted to vitamin A in the animal body. It is the most powerful antioxidant in nature, with 550 times the antioxidant activity of vitamin E and 10 times that of β-carotene, making it the 'king of antioxidants'.

■ Source

In 1938, German scientist Richard Kuhn first isolated a red substance from the body of a lobster, which was initially recognised as a carotenoid but did not attract much attention at the time. With the advancement of science and technology in the mid-20th century, researchers gradually realised that this red substance had a unique chemical structure and physiological activity, and officially named it astaxanthin.

Astaxanthin was initially extracted mainly from marine organisms such as shrimp, crab and salmon. However, the limited production and high cost of these natural sources of astaxanthin has limited its widespread use. To meet market demand, scientists began to look for ways to synthesise astaxanthin. In the 1980s, a major breakthrough in astaxanthin synthetic technology was achieved, which led to a significant increase in the production of astaxanthin and a gradual reduction in its price, laying the foundation for its widespread application.

Particularities of Nutrivitas®Astaxanthin:

Product Specifications:

Nutrivitas®Astaxanthin is available in the following specification and contents:

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☑ Nutrivitas®Astaxanthin 5% oil suspension

Product quality standards:

● USP/FDA-GRAS/Novel Food/In-house

Production technology description:

●Astaxanthin production methods mainly include natural extraction method, microbial fermentation method and chemical synthesis method. Natural extraction method mainly from shrimp and crab and other aquatic animals processing by-products of astaxanthin, extraction process is complex, high cost, astaxanthin content is low. Microbial fermentation method utilizes yeast, algae and bacteria to produce astaxanthin, of which the content of astaxanthin in haematococcus pluvialis is higher.Microbial fermentation method produces astaxanthin with clear structure, few by-products, environmentally friendly, and can increase the yield of astaxanthin through genetic engineering and fermentation process regulation, which is considered to be an effective way to realize industrial production. The chemical synthesis method is to extract astaxanthin from carotenoids widely used in fish feed, due to its stability, antioxidant activity colouring is significantly lower than natural astaxanthin.

▶ Antioxidant

▶ Enhancement of immunity

▶ Anti-cancer effect

▶ Food field

▶ Pharmaceutical field

The antioxidant and immunopromoting effects of Nutrivitas®Astaxanthin can be used to produce drugs to prevent oxidative tissue damage. The antioxidant properties of astaxanthin can also be used to prevent atherosclerosis and related diseases by using it in preparations for the prevention of atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease and ischaemic brain damage. Nutrivitas®Astaxanthin is also used as a general antibiotic peroxidant, an anti-cancer agent and in the treatment of infertility by promoting embryo and sperm development.

Nutrivitas®Astaxanthin Applications:

Nutrivitas®Astaxanthin is widely used in functional foods and nutraceuticals due to its extreme antioxidant and free radical scavenging properties. As a natural pigment, astaxanthin can be used in food colouring to give foods a bright red colour. Due to its high stability, it is not easily affected by light, heat and pH, making it suitable for use in a wide range of food colouring applications. Astaxanthin can also be used in the production of beverages and confectionery with antioxidant properties to meet consumer demand for healthy foods.

Nutrivitas®Astaxanthin's powerful antioxidant activity is due to its ability to stabilise membrane structure, reduce membrane permeability, limit the entry of peroxide promoters into the cell and protect key intracellular molecules from oxidative damage. Astaxanthin inhibits lipid peroxidation through its protective action on liposomes. It also protects cells and DNA from oxidative reactions, protects intracellular proteins and allows cells to metabolise efficiently for better intracellular protein function.

Nutrivitas®Astaxanthin can significantly improve the local and systemic immunity of the body, and this immunomodulatory property combined with the antioxidant property plays an important role in preventing the onset and spread of disease. Astaxanthin can improve the function of T cells in the body, increase the number of neutrophils and natural killer cells and participate in the cellular immunity of the body; astaxanthin can also increase the vitality of B cells in the immune system, eliminate exogenous invading pathogens and play a role in supporting the production of antibodies and increasing the activity of other immune components.

The anti-tumour activity of Nutrivitas®Astaxanthin may be related to its effect on intercellular signalling, induction of the production of isoforms of metabolic enzymes, and modulation of immune responses associated with tumour cells. Studies have shown that the anti-tumour effects of astaxanthin may act at different stages of tumourigenesis. Nutrivitas®Astaxanthin also has a strong inhibitory effect on the proliferation of cancer cells, high concentrations of astaxanthin can kill tumour cells, can effectively control a variety of cancers, such as liver cancer, oral cancer, colon cancer, bladder cancer and breast cancer.

■ Structural properties

Astaxanthin molecular structure of the conjugated double bond chain and the conjugated double bond chain at the end of the unsaturated ketone group and hydroxyl, can attract free radicals unpaired electrons or to provide electrons to the free radicals, thus scavenging free radicals to play an antioxidant role, the structure also makes it easy to interact with light, heat, oxides, structural changes in the degradationt of astaxanthin, especially ultraviolet light has the most obvious effect on the most obvious, continuous irradiation of about 4h astaxanthin will be completely destroyed. Destroyed; below 70 ℃, pH4-7 range, astaxanthin is more stable; Ca2+, Mg2+, K+, Na+, Zn2+ metal ions on astaxanthin basically have no effect, Fe2+, Fe3+, Cu2+ has a significant destructive effect. The chromophores in the molecular structure of astaxanthin have a unique absorption region in the UV-visible range, so its crystals or solutions are purple-red in visible light. Astaxanthin exists mainly in free and esterified forms. Free astaxanthin is extremely unstable, easily oxidised, and is usually chemically synthesised for the free form.

▶ Colouring effect

Carotenoids are the main colouring substances in aquatic animals, and Nutrivitas®Astaxanthinmakes up the majority of carotenoids in aquatic animals. Nutrivitas®Astaxanthin is the end point of carotenoid synthesis, it enters the animal body can be stored directly in the tissues without modification or biochemical transformation, has a very strong pigmentation ability, so that the skin and muscles of some aquatic animals appeared healthy and bright colour, so that the eggs and poultry feathers, skin, feet and collar present a healthy golden yellow or red.

▶ Feed field

The largest market for Nutrivitas®Astaxanthin is the feed industry, where it can be used as a feed additive mainly for crustaceans such as fish, shrimps and crabs, as well as poultry. Nutrivitas®Astaxanthin, as a colourant agent for aquaculture animals, can make aquatic animals more vibrant and ornamental; adding astaxanthin to poultry feed can increase the yolk pigment content of eggs; it can also improve the laying rate of hens and promote the health of laying hens. Nutrivitas®Astaxanthin in the prevention and treatment of fish, shrimp, crab and poultry diseases have the same function as for humans, can improve immunity, improve the survival rate, its normal growth and healthy breeding, improve the survival rate and reproduction rate has an important role.

☑ Nutrivitas®Astaxanthin 10% oil suspension

☑ Nutrivitas®Astaxanthin 30% oil suspension

☑ Nutrivitas®Astaxanthin 20% oil suspension

▶ Cosmetic field

Nutrivitas®Astaxanthin, as a new cosmetic raw material, is widely used in creams, emulsions, lip balms, skin care products and other types of cosmetics with its excellent properties. Especially in the field of advanced cosmetics, natural astaxanthin with its unique molecular structure can effectively scavenge free radicals caused by ultraviolet rays through its antioxidant effect, preventing skin photoaging, reducing UVA and UVB damage to the skin, preventing the formation of skin cancer, slowing down the aging of cell and reducing the formation of skin wrinkles, melanin deposits and freckles.