Novel and sustainable biotechnological approaches for astaxanthin and ketocarotenoids production

Introduction

Microalgae are photosynthetic unicellular microorganisms which can be cultivated at an industrial level and adopted as sustainable platforms to produce high-value biobased products. Astaxanthin and omega-3 fatty acids are examples of high-value metabolites that can be produced by microalgae and are relevant for both human and animal nutrition.

Astaxanthin Overview

Astaxanthin is widely used in animal feed for its pigmentation properties, but it is also used in nutraceuticals, being among the strongest antioxidants found in nature. Despite the high potential of microalgae, nowadays astaxanthin is mainly derived from chemical synthesis due to the high costs of natural astaxanthin production and extraction, with selling prices in the market reaching several thousands of €/kg.

Challenges of Synthetic Astaxanthin

However, synthetic astaxanthin has far less antioxidant power compared to the natural one, and its production processes present several sustainability issues.

ASTEASIER Project Background

The ASTEASIER project starts from the results of the ERC PoC project Asteasy, where novel biotechnological solutions to efficiently produce natural astaxanthin were developed, reducing the production costs compared to the state-of-the-art processes.

Innovations and Validation

Moreover, the ASTEASIER solution allows for easy extraction of astaxanthin in a wide range of bland solvents, and the simultaneous production of both astaxanthin and omega-3, required for fish feed formulation, has been developed.

Project Objectives

Here, these innovations will be validated in demonstrator units and tested for aquaculture feed formulation. The ASTEASIER proposal is thus focused on the development and validation of these novel methods to produce and extract astaxanthin from microalgae.

Future Goals

The project aims, in line with the EIC Transition work programme, to take the technologies to TRL6 and to spin-off a company that will become a leader in engineering microalgae to produce and sell natural products such as astaxanthin for human and animal nutrition and wellness.