Industry prepares for increased astaxanthin demand

Related tags Carbon dioxide

Demand for natural astaxanthin in the United States is set to grow
apace over the next 18 months, according to Fuji Health Science,
due to increased consumer awareness and media attention to its
antioxidant properties.

Charles DePrince, president of Fuji Health Science​ told NutraIngredients-USA.com: "Astaxanthin has been popular in Japan for quite some time, but in the US it is the newest carotenoid and is only just beginning to gain consumer attention."

Astaxanthin is produced by the haematacoccus pluvialis​ algae when water supplies in its habitat dry up to protect itself against the effects of UV radiation. Research has shown it to have a similar structure to lutein and zeaxanthin, but there are indications that it has an even stronger antioxidant activity.

Fuji Health Science, the US subsidiary of Japan's Fuji Chemical Industry Co, announced last week that its AstaREAL biomass astaxanthin, produced at its facility in Gustavsberg, Sweden, is now registered as a new dietary ingredient (NDI) for use in dietary supplements in the US.

The Swedish powder, standardized to 3.8 percent astaxanthin, joins Fuji's Hawaiian-produced astaxanthin extract (a 10 percent standardized oil), which DePrince said has been registered as NDI since 2001.

What is more, the capacity of the Swedish facility can be expanded on a modular basis in order to meet growing demand.

DePrince declined to discuss the pricing of the two products in detail, but said that the availability of the Swedish products means it is able to be "competitive".

Fuji is not the only company seeking to address America's enthusiasm for astaxanthin, however. Last month Valensa International's​ Zanthin astaxanthin, also a 10 percent extract, was notified as a NDI.

Valensa (formerly US Nutra) said that Zanthin is the only supercritical carbon dioxide extract of natural astaxanthin approved for sale and use as a dietary supplement in both the US and the EU.

While Valensa holds both US and world patents for the use of astaxanthin in retarding and ameliorating central nervous system and eye damage, Fuji has world patents for its use in physical and muscle endurance, gastric health, fertility and for the immune system disorder Crohn's disease.

DePrince said that Fuji also has a patent pending for eye fatigue and visual acuity.

Cyanotech also holds three patents of astaxanthin's use in human nutrition - for carpal tunnel syndrome, for cold and canker sores, and as an internal and topical sunblock to prevent skin damage from UV radiation.

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