Recent advancements in astaxanthin production from microalgae: A review

Microalgae have emerged as the best source of high-value astaxanthin producers. Algal astaxanthin possesses numerous bioactivities hence the rising demand for several health applications and is broadly used in phar-maceuticals, aquaculture, health foods, cosmetics, etc. Among several low-priced synthetic astaxanthin, natural astaxanthin is still irreplaceable for human consumption and food-additive uses. This review highlights the recent development in production enhancement and cost-effective extraction techniques that may apply to large-scale astaxanthin biorefinery. Primarily, the biosynthetic pathway of astaxanthin is elaborated with the key enzymes involved in the metabolic process. Moreover, discussed the latest astaxanthin enhancement strategies mainly including chemicals as product inducers and byproducts inhibitors. Later, various physical, chemical, and biological cell disruption methods are compared for cell disruption efficiency, and astaxanthin extractability. The aim of this review is to provide a comprehensive review of advancements in astaxanthin research covering scalable upstream and downstream astaxanthin bioproduction aspects.

Automated summary

Microalgae have been identified as the most efficient producers of high-value astaxanthin. Astaxanthin derived from algae has various bioactivities and is widely used in pharmaceuticals, aquaculture, health foods, cosmetics, etc. This review focuses on recent advancements in enhancing production and reducing costs in large-scale astaxanthin biorefineries. The biosynthetic pathway of astaxanthin is elaborated, along with discussions on strategies for enhancement and extraction techniques. The aim of this review is to provide a comprehensive overview of progress in astaxanthin research, covering both upstream and downstream aspects of bioproduction.