Extractability and Bioavailability of the Natural Antioxidant Astaxanthin From a Green Alga, Haematococcus Pluvialis

• Main Authors: FU FAN, SOMMERFELD MILTON R, HU QIANG
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 27.08.2009
• Subjects: BEER; BIOCHEMISTRY; CHEMISTRY; COMPOSITIONS THEREOF; CULTURE MEDIA; ENZYMOLOGY; FERMENTATION OR ENZYME-USING PROCESSES TO SYNTHESISE A DESIREDCHEMICAL COMPOUND OR COMPOSITION OR TO SEPARATE OPTICAL ISOMERSFROM A RACEMIC MIXTURE; FODDER; FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; FOODS, FOODSTUFFS, OR NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES, NOT COVERED BYSUBCLASSES A23B - A23J; HUMAN NECESSITIES; HYGIENE; MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; METALLURGY; MICROBIOLOGY; MICROORGANISMS OR ENZYMES; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING; PREPARATIONS FOR MEDICAL, DENTAL, OR TOILET PURPOSES; PRESERVATION OF FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS, IN GENERAL; PROPAGATING, PRESERVING OR MAINTAINING MICROORGANISMS; SPIRITS; THEIR PREPARATION OR TREATMENT, e.g. COOKING, MODIFICATION OFNUTRITIVE QUALITIES, PHYSICAL TREATMENT; THEIR TREATMENT, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES; VINEGAR; WINE

As the richest source of astaxanthin, a natural antioxidant and coloring agent, the unicellular green alga, Haematococcus pluvialis, is being commercially exploited. A major constraint in the Haematococcus production system, however, is the thick, rigid cell walls associated with astaxanthin-rich cysts (or aplanospores). The thick walls prevent the extraction of cellular materials and consequently reduce the bioavailability of astaxanthin. Using a physical, chemical, or enzymatic method to disrupt the cell wall has proven to be very expensive and also introduce the risk of oxidation of astaxanthin by atmospheric oxygen The present invention provides a novel method for solving this problem by introducing two genetically modified Haematococcus pluvialis mutants. These two mutants, named as D 13-17 and N54-22, contain remarkably reduced amounts of cell wall materials, but retain the growth potential and ability to accumulate astaxanthin as high as the wild type strain. Organic solvent extraction efficiency assay has demonstrated that cellular astaxanthin can be more effectively and efficiently extracted from the cell wall-deficient mutants than from the wild type, suggesting that the mutants may provide better bioavailability of astaxanthin to humans and animals. The said mutants can be used for production of natural astaxanthin for human and animal consumption