Techno-economic analysis of a new downstream process for the production of astaxanthin from the microalgae Haematococcus pluvialis

The biotechnological production of the carotenoid astaxanthin is done with the microalgae Haematococcus pluvialis (H. pluvialis). Under nutrient deficiency and light stress, H. pluvialis accumulates astaxanthin intracellularly and forms a resistant cyst cell wall that impedes direct astaxanthin extraction. Therefore, a complex downstream process is required, including centrifugation, mechanical cell wall disruption, drying, and supercritical extraction of astaxanthin with CO2. In this work, an alternative downstream process based on the direct extraction of astaxanthin from the algal broth into ethyl acetate using a centrifugal partition extractor (CPE) was developed. A mechanical cell wall disruption or germination of the cysts was carried out to make astaxanthin accessible to the solvent. Zoospores containing astaxanthin are released when growth conditions are applied to cyst cells, from which astaxanthin can directly be extracted into ethyl acetate. Energy-intensive unit operations such as spray-drying and extraction with supercritical CO2 can be replaced by directly extracting astaxanthin into ethyl acetate. Extraction yields of 85% were reached, and 3.5 g of oleoresin could be extracted from 7.85 g homogenised H. pluvialis biomass using a CPE unit with 244 mL column volume. A techno-economic analysis was done for a hypothetical H. pluvialis production facility with an annual biomass output of 8910 kg. Four downstream scenarios were examined, comparing the novel process of astaxanthin extraction from homogenised cyst cells and germinated zoospores via CPE extraction with the conventional industrial process using in-house or supercritical CO2 extraction via an external service provider. After 10 years of operation, the highest net present value (NPV) was determined for the CPE extraction from germinated zoospores.

Ekstraksi Astaxanthin Kulit Udang (Litopenaeus vannamei) Pantai Gunung Kidul Menggunakan Pelarut Minyak Bunga Matahari dan Etanol

ABSTRACT As a maritime country with vast waters, Indonesia has many opportunities to utilize marine resources as a source of bioactive compounds that have the potential as active medicinal ingredients. One of the marine biotas that potentially contains the active compounds is the Vannamei shrimp's shell (Litopenaeus vannamei), which is commonly found as waste along the coast of Gunungkidul, Yogyakarta. The shrimp’s shell contains astaxanthin, a potential source of antioxidants for the health industry. The purpose of this study was to compare the astaxanthin extraction yield from L. vannamei shrimp shells using sunflower oil and 70% ethanol. The Astaxanthin extraction used sunflower oil and ethanol 70% as solvents and was done by maceration method, while the phytochemical test and Astaxanthin profiling used Thin Layer Chromatography and Spectrophotometer with Kelly and Harmon (1972) [5] calculations as well as pure Astaxanthin standards. The extraction yield of the 70% ethanol extraction was further processed by column chromatography using ether: ethanol (8: 2) as mobile phase. The highest Astaxanthin yield (220 mg / g of shrimp powder) was obtained from the extraction with sunflower oil compared to the 70% ethanol solvent, while the fractionation result with a chromatographic column from a crude extract of ethanol 70% showed high astaxanthin yield of 220.77 mg. / g fraction. The results of the fraction test on rat neutrophils, the best percentage reduction was at a concentration of 150 mg / g bw of rats.

Optimised Production and Extraction of Astaxanthin from the Yeast Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous

Currently, astaxanthin demand is fulfilled by chemical synthesis using petroleum-based feedstocks. As such, alternative pathways of natural astaxanthin production attracts much research interest. This study aimed at optimising bioreactor operation parameters for astaxanthin production and evaluating strategies for its subsequent extraction. The effect of pH and agitation was evident, as a significant reduction in both biomass and astaxanthin production was observed when the culture pH was not controlled and a low agitation speed was applied. At controlled pH conditions and a high agitation speed, a significant increase in biomass (16.4 g/L) and astaxanthin production (3.6 mg/L) was obtained. Enzymatic yeast cell lysis using two commercial enzymes (Accellerase 1500 and Glucanex) was optimised using the central composite design of experiment (DoE). Accellerase 1500 led to mild cell disruption and only 9% (w/w) astaxanthin extraction. However, Glucanex treatment resulted in complete astaxanthin extractability, compared to standard extraction method (DMSO/acetone). When supercritical CO2 was employed as an extraction solvent in Accellerase-pre-treated Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous cells, astaxanthin extraction increased 2.5-fold. Overall, the study showed that extraction conditions can be tailored towards targeted pigments present in complex mixtures, such as in microbial cells.