Astaxanthin has promising applications in functional foods

Astaxanthin, also known as astaxanthin and astaxanthin, is an oxygenated derivative of carotenoids contained in shrimp and crab shells, oysters, salmon and certain algae, which can effectively quench reactive oxygen species and has high nutritional and health care value.

A large number of studies at home and abroad have shown that astaxanthin can effectively scavenge free radicals produced by exercise in muscle cells, strengthen oxygen-demanding metabolism, with significant anti-fatigue and delay aging; can significantly improve human immunity; is the only carotenoid that can pass the blood-brain barrier, has the advantage of antioxidant protection for the eyes, and can be used as a food coloring agent, antioxidant, etc.

The aging of the body is mainly caused by a large number of free radicals generated by chain oxidation reactions in mitochondria, which will lead to oxidative damage to mitochondria and accelerate the aging of body cells if not removed in time. Astaxanthin has strong antioxidant activity and can efficiently scavenge oxygen free radicals, therefore, adding astaxanthin to functional foods can help prevent a series of health problems caused by organ aging. Currently, research and development of astaxanthin anti-aging functional foods has been carried out abroad.

Astaxanthin significantly promotes the ability of spleen cells to produce antibodies in the presence of antigens and enhances the production of immunoglobulins by T cells stimulating blood cells in the human body. Therefore, the application of astaxanthin to enhance the body's immune health food is an important direction for astaxanthin development. It is reported that Japan has launched a variety of astaxanthin products, such as a company applied astaxanthin with other functional extracts grouping method, the production of a variety of new products with higher functional role.

The main diseases causing visual damage and even blindness are age-related macular degeneration and age-related cataracts, both of which are related to the process of photo-oxidation inside the eye. Studies have shown that astaxanthin can cross the blood-brain barrier and effectively prevent oxidation of the retina and damage to photoreceptor cells, indicating that astaxanthin has good effects in improving retinal function.

Therefore, astaxanthin is applied to protect vision and maintain eye health functional food is a hot topic of current research at home and abroad. For example, Japan will be astaxanthin and blueberry extract grouping to strengthen the protective effect on vision; the United States has developed natural astaxanthin capsules and other products that help protect vision, improve the aging retinal macular degeneration, etc..

In addition, astaxanthin also has the effect of preserving freshness, color, taste and quality. Astaxanthin is a fat-soluble pigment, a brilliant red color, natural and realistic, with a very strong pigment deposition ability, strong coloring power, safety, low dosage, no odor, good taste, can be used in many health food coloring and the coloring of tablets sugar coating, capsules, can also be used directly in food, such as edible fats, margarine, ice cream, candy, pastry, noodles, seasonings, etc., more suitable for fruit juices containing vitamin C.

In Japan, the use of astaxanthin as a functional food additive has become more common, the red oil containing astaxanthin is widely used in vegetables, seaweed and fruit marinades, in beverages, noodles, seasonings coloring and other applications.

Currently, the main sources of astaxanthin include chemically synthesized and naturally derived.

Compared with natural astaxanthin, chemically synthesized astaxanthin has certain differences in structure, properties, application and safety, and its stability, antioxidant, coloring and other important properties are significantly lower than natural astaxanthin. The efficient extraction and preparation of natural astaxanthin is the focus of future astaxanthin development, especially the use of yeast, algae and other microorganisms industrial fermentation production of astaxanthin, the production cycle is short and promising. Therefore, the screening of high-yield strains, improve the fermentation process, the timely introduction of genetic improvement techniques to improve yields and reduce costs, will help the further development and application of astaxanthin.

It is understood that the current foreign applications in the field of astaxanthin functional foods are mainly located in the strengthening of immunity, protection of the retina, prevention of oxidative damage to blood LDL cholesterol, and has developed and produced many related health food, dietary supplements, etc.. In this regard, China is still in its infancy, it is expected that with the continuous research on the functional properties of astaxanthin, production technology to improve the perfect, while combining our traditional "medicine and food" concept, the use of astaxanthin to develop functional foods, will have excellent application prospects.