Write An Essay On Astaxanthin

A. Rationale

Astaxanthin, similar to a variety of carotenoids, is a colorful antioxidant and a fat-soluble pigment. The presence of the extended polyene system located at the center of the substance causes it to not only give color but also responsible for the antioxidant properties of carotenoids such as astaxanthin that can perform a free radical scavenging and quenching ability (Dalei and Sahoo, 2015). Also, astaxanthin is a very unique carotenoid which cannot be converted into retinol in the human body. High consumption of astaxanthin is not toxic for a human while a high intake of retinol is being expressed to have high toxicity (Ushakumari & Ramanujan, 2013).

Astaxanthin has 10 times the antioxidant activity compared to other carotenoids

Astaxanthin cannot be generated by humans. Production of natural astaxanthin comes from algae, bacteria and fungi, and concentrates higher up the food chain as consumption of primary producers take place. Its naturally vivid red color lightens the flesh, skin or exoskeleton of animals such as crabs, salmon, etc. It is also provided to farmed seafood for the purpose of pigmentation. Astaxanthin can also be obtained naturally specifically from flamingo feathers and the quail’s retina (as cited in Kidd, 2011). It also serves as a pigment which was widely used in aquaculture feeds, food industries, and about pharmacological, cosmetics and clinical studies (as cited in Cheong et al.,

The antioxidant activity of the extracts was measured on the basis of the scavenging activity of the stable DPPH free radical (as cited in Dong et al., 2014). Evaluation of antioxidant activity of astaxanthin through DPPH assay was modified according to the procedures reported by Lewis (2012). 12 mls of 0.1 mM DPPH solution with methanol was prepared. A measurement of 0.005 g of DPPH was added to 12 mls of methanol which was measured with a graduated cylinder into a small foil-wrapped flask. A number of 11 two ml microcentrifuge tubes were assembled and was labeled as: Tubes 1a-c through 3a-c: Product Extract Dilution 1 through 3 (repeat three times for 9 tubes), Tube 4: Positive control, α-tocopherol and Tube 5: Negative control, solvent only. α-tocopherol, also known as the Vitamin E was prepared as the postive control. A concentration of 10 mg/ml was obtained by the stock solution (in ethanol, it must be kept in the refrigerator and shielded from light).10 µl from the Vitamin E stock was removed and transferred in a labeled eppendorf, at cool temperature and protected from light. 40 µl of 100% ethanol was added to the positive control tube. 50 µl of prepared extract was added at 2 mg/ml to Tube 1 a-c ( 100 µg of overall extract). 38 µl of prepared extract was added to Tube 2 a-c (75 µg of overall extract). 25 µl of prepared extract was added to Tube 3 a-c (total of 25 µg of extract). 50 µl of methanol only was added to tube 5 which is the negative