Simultaneous extraction and purification of natural astaxanthin from Haematococcus pluvialis using adsorptive chromatography

The Haematococcus pluvialis is a recognized source of natural astaxanthin. The realm of astaxanthin bioprocessing is emerging with advanced techniques of cultivation and astaxanthin extraction. The present study addresses constraint of H. pluvialis cultivation under the Indian tropical environment for improved astaxanthin production, followed by purification of extracted astaxanthin. The chemical-based extraction using DMSO, yielded 163 mg g−1 of astaxanthin. Further, alkaline saponification was performed with 0.015 M NaOH at 25 °C to de-esterify astaxanthin esters. Considering the prerequisite of food and feed applications, a process was developed for the removal of non-GRAS solvent (DMSO) using adsorptive chromatography. Based on static adsorption and desorption studies of the resins, Amberlite XAD 1180 N was selected for column chromatography. Purification by column chromatographic study yielded DMSO-free 97.3 mg g−1 of astaxanthin, resulting in 80.8 % recovery. Stability studies confirmed 92 % retention of purified astaxanthin with 85 % antioxidant activity at 4 °C over 90 days.