"Astaxanthin in nature"  (Technical Report)
   Salmon's marathon
   Astaxanthin in seafood
   Haematococcus algae

Salmon's marathon

Imagine the hardships that salmon must endure swimming up rivers and dams....

In their drive and race to spawn, to ensure survival of their species, salmon often go without food for days, drawing on their own reserves and muscle protein for this tremendous endurance effort.

Salmon is probably our most common astaxanthin-containing seafood.

Recent research has shown that astaxanthin acts like a vitamin for salmon.

• It plays a critical role in protecting the polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) deposited in large amounts in the muscle and reproductive organs of this fish.
• These lipids are salmon's main source of energy during the upstream marathon, and are also essential for reproduction.
• Astaxanthin's antioxidant properties play a critical role in the survival, reproduction, and immune functions of salmon.
• In salmon, astaxanthin has been shown to have a sparing effect on other very important antioxidant vitamins such as Vitamins C, E and A.

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Astaxanthin is a carotenoid pigment found in a number of aquatic animals.

Many types of fish and crustaceans, including trout, salmon, red seabream, shrimp, and lobster, accumulate astaxanthin in their tissues and skin.

Astaxanthin plays many important biological functions in these species, including:

• Improved protection against oxidation and photo-oxidation,
• Reproduction and development,
• Immune response,
• Resistance to disease,
• Reproductive behaviour, and
• Communication.

In nature, the type of tissues astaxanthin is associated with affects the color of astaxanthin.

In most cases, astaxanthin has a bright red-orange to pinkish tinge, but in some live crustaceans, the astaxanthin molecule is bound to a protein. This bond affects the color and explains the dark blue-green we admire in live Maine lobster.

However, during the cooking process, the bond between the protein and astaxanthin is disrupted allowing us to see the red-orange color of astaxanthin.

Because astaxanthin is commonly found in some of our favorite and most healthy foods, such as salmon or other types of seafood, it naturally occurs in small amounts in the human diet.

Interestingly, salmon is the main source of protein among native Alaskans and has been associated with their low rate of ischaemic heart disease mortality.

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Haematococcus pluvialis algae is believed to be the world's richest source of astaxanthin.

Haematococcus algae are microscopic green algae which accumulate high levels of astaxanthin when placed in adverse environmental conditions.

The levels of astaxanthin deposited in Haematococcus pluvialis can exceed by a factor of 1,000 to 10,000 the amount of astaxanthin found in the flesh of various species of salmon.

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