Factory Spot Astaxanthin

Astaxanthin, referred to as ASTA, also known as astaxanthin in Hong Kong and Taiwan) is a kind of blue pigment that can give ornamental fish, salmon, shrimp and flamingos pink color. Its chemical structure is similar to beta-carotene. Astaxanthin is a member of the carotenoid group. It is also the highest level product of carotenoid synthesis, β-carotene, lutein, canthaxanthin, lycopene, etc. are just intermediate products of carotenoid synthesis, so in nature, astaxanthin has the strongest Antioxidant.

Astaxanthin is naturally produced by algae, bacteria and phytoplankton. Some aquatic species, including crustaceans such as shrimp and crabs, eat the algae and plankton and store the pigment in their shells, giving them a red appearance. These shellfish, in turn, are preyed upon by fish (salmon, trout, galley) and birds (flamingos, ibis), which then store the pigment in their skin and fatty tissue. This is why salmon and some other animals appear red. The professor of Huazhong Agricultural University also researched and confirmed that the red component of natural red-core duck eggs is also natural astaxanthin.

Natural astaxanthin is the strongest antioxidant found in nature so far, and its antioxidant activity far exceeds that of existing antioxidants.

Chemical name: 3,3′-dihydroxy-4,4′-diketo-β,β′-carotene, pigment Aj067-69 CAS No: 472-61-7, molecular formula C40H52O4, [molecular weight] 596.86

Its ability to scavenge free radicals is: 1000 times of natural VE, 10 times of natural β-carotene, 17 times of grape seed, 200 times of lutein, 150 times of OPC, 60 times of coenzyme Q10, tea polyphenols 200 times of lycopene and 7 times of lycopene.

Only algae, yeast and bacteria can produce natural astaxanthin, and higher animals cannot transform this chemical structure. Natural astaxanthin also has a clear feature that it is the only carotenoid that can pass through the blood-brain barrier.

At present, the production of astaxanthin has two ways: artificial synthesis and biological acquisition. Synthetic astaxanthin is not only expensive, but also significantly different from natural astaxanthin in terms of structure, function, application and safety.
In terms of structure, due to the optical activity of the hydroxyl groups (-OH) at both ends, astaxanthin has 3S-3'S, 3R-3'S, 3R-3'R (also known as left-handed, racemic, and right-handed). 3 types

Isomeric form, in which artificial astaxanthin is a mixture of 3 kinds of structural astaxanthin (25% left-handed, 25% right-handed, 50% racemated), very little antioxidant activity, and salmon and other farmed organisms The astaxanthin in the body (mainly in the trans structure - 3S-3 S type) is completely different. Yeast-sourced astaxanthin is 100% dextrorotatory (3R-3'R) and has partial antioxidant activity; the above two sources of astaxanthin are mainly used in the coloring of non-edible animals and materials. Only astaxanthin from algal sources has a 100% left-handed (3S-3'S) structure and has the strongest biological activity. After years of research by large companies such as CYANOTECH, FUJI, and YAMAHA, it is used as a human health food , high-end cosmetics, medicines.

1) In terms of physiological functions, the stability and antioxidant activity of synthetic astaxanthin are also lower than those of natural astaxanthin. Because the hydroxyl group (-OH) at both ends of the astaxanthin molecule can be esterified, its stability is different. More than 90% of the natural astaxanthin exists in the esterified form, so it is relatively stable. Synthetic astaxanthin exists in a free state, so it is stable Synthetic astaxanthin must be embedded to be stable. Synthetic astaxanthin has only about 1/4 of the left-handed structure, so its antioxidant activity is only about 1/4 of the natural one.

2) In terms of application effect, the bioabsorption effect of artificial astaxanthin is also worse than that of natural astaxanthin. When the feeding concentration is low, the concentration of artificial astaxanthin in the blood of rainbow trout is significantly lower than that of natural astaxanthin, and it cannot be absorbed in the body. Transformed into a natural configuration, its coloring ability and biological potency are much lower than those of natural astaxanthin with the same concentration.

3) In terms of biosafety, when using chemical means to synthesize astaxanthin, it will inevitably introduce impurity chemical substances, such as unnatural by-products produced during the synthesis process, which will reduce its bioavailability safety. Therefore, it cannot be used in the human market.

1. Foods containing astaxanthin in algae

Often edible algae containing astaxanthin food, marine algae such as reef membrane, Ulva, kelp, wakame, seaweed, agarose etc. Edible freshwater algae include Haematococcus pluvialis, ground fungus, and hair vegetables. Foods containing astaxanthin are only produced by a few types of algae and plankton, most of which only contain astaxanthin intermediates β-carotene, vitamin E, etc.

Among them, Haematococcus pluvialis (currently most of the manufacturers that produce natural astaxanthin come from this microalgae) is the most abundant astaxanthin-containing organism in nature, and its astaxanthin content can reach 3. 0%, or even higher, known as the "concentrated product" of natural astaxanthin.

2. Shrimp foods containing astaxanthin (take astaxanthin from marine and freshwater algae, plankton, etc.)

(1). Foods containing astaxanthin Freshwater shrimp: Crayfish (crayfish), freshwater shrimp, river shrimp, grass shrimp, and freshwater shrimp (freshwater shrimp). 2. Foods containing astaxanthin Seawater shrimp: There are lobster (Chinese lobster), sea shrimp (red shrimp, big red shrimp), prawn (prawn), base shrimp (sea shrimp), pipa shrimp and other sea shrimp.

(2). Shrimp in brackish water, such as white shrimp, etc., no matter what kind of shrimp, in addition to the food containing astaxanthin as the core value, according to scientific analysis, the edible protein of shrimp accounts for about 16-20%, and the nutritional value is very high , its meat is as soft as fish, easy to digest, but without fishy smell and bone spurs, and rich in minerals (such as calcium, phosphorus, iron, etc.), seawater shrimps are also rich in iodine, which is very beneficial to human health benefit.

3. Foods containing astaxanthin in crabs (astaxanthin intake is the same as shrimp)

(1). Crabs 90% of the foods containing astaxanthin are seafood, and the edible ones include portunus trituberculatus (sea crab), portunus pelagics, blue crab (also known as yellow crab and squid), etc.

(2). 10% of the food containing astaxanthin in crabs is from fresh water. Edible foods containing astaxanthin in crabs include Chinese mitten crabs, also known as hairy crabs, crabs, river crabs, and clear water hairy crabs (such as Liangzi Lake, Yangcheng Lake hairy crabs, etc.) famous), etc. Generally, shrimp and crab foods containing astaxanthin contain 80-100 mg of astaxanthin in 1000 grams of shrimp shells, and crayfish foods containing astaxanthin have the highest content of astaxanthin among all shrimp and crabs. 1000 grams of shrimp shells contain about 800-1000 mg of astaxanthin. However, except for a few cooking methods such as oily prawns, some of the astaxanthin can be filtered out of the shrimp and crab shells, and most of the astaxanthin is discarded along with the shrimp and crab shells.

1. Protective effect on eyes and central nervous system

The human retina and central nervous system (brain) are rich in unsaturated fatty acids and are therefore susceptible to peroxidative damage from free radicals produced by oxidation. Studies have shown that astaxanthin can easily pass through the blood-brain barrier and cell membrane, and can effectively prevent retinal oxidation and photoreceptor cell damage, as well as protect the central nervous system, especially the brain, thus effectively targeting ischemia-regeneration. Perfusion injury, spinal cord injury, Parkinson's syndrome, Alzheimer's syndrome and other central nervous system injuries. Especially macular degeneration effect is more significant than lutein. U.S. CADAX company has used astaxanthin as a drug to prevent re-infarction after cerebral infarction, and it has been reported that it has entered the clinical trial stage in 2010. The biggest advantage is that it will not cause coagulation dysfunction like antiplatelet drugs.

2. Effective anti-wrinkle and whitening

The skin is composed of three layers: epidermis, dermis, and subcutaneous fat. The dermis contains collagen, elastin, and other fibers that make up the skeleton that supports the skin. It is these elements that make the skin look smooth and youthful, and these same elements are also vulnerable to UVA and UVB damage.

Ultraviolet rays are divided into long-wave ultraviolet UVA and short-wave ultraviolet UVB. Among them, UVA, a long-wave ultraviolet light, can reach the dermis due to its relatively long wavelength, mainly damaging collagen and elastin, and the skeleton supporting the epidermis disappears, resulting in uneven collapse of the epidermis and the formation of skin wrinkles, while UVB mainly acts on the epidermis, causing Sunburn or the deposition of melanin, which forms spots or darkens the skin.

Ultraviolet UV produces in situ active oxygen and matrix metalloproteinases, which are the root cause of wrinkles because they destroy the collagen matrix of the dermis.

The skin's own repair mechanism is capable of rebuilding damaged collagen, however, if the destructive activities of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and matrix metalloproteinases (NMP) are not effectively controlled, they will continue to damage these collagens, which will seriously It hinders the skin's own repair process, while astaxanthin can significantly weaken the damage of ROS and NMP to dermal collagen and elastin, ensuring the normal metabolism of the skin. If external astaxanthin is combined with oral astaxanthin, and some collagen-rich foods are supplemented at the same time, wrinkles will be repaired quickly.

Seeking truth from facts: relying solely on "elastin" and "collagen" cannot remove your crow's feet. Those are just the ingredients, and the powerhouse comes from the powerful antioxidant astaxanthin.

3. Enhance immunity and relieve exercise fatigue

Astaxanthin can significantly affect the immune function of animals. In the presence of antigens, it can significantly promote the ability of spleen cells to produce antibodies, enhance the function of T cells, and stimulate the production of immunoglobulins in the body. Astaxanthin can also partially restore the humoral immune system of aged mice, which can increase the IgM, IgA and IgG in the mice to 10mol/L, indicating that it can enhance the specific humoral immune response in the early stage of antigen invasion . In addition, astaxanthin can also enhance the ability of mice to release interleukin-Iα and tumor necrosis factor α, which is much stronger than β-carotene and canthaxanthin. Therefore, it is considered that astaxanthin has a strong activity of inducing cell division and has an important role in immune regulation.