Advancements of Lutein Extraction from Microalgae Biomass: A Review

The demand of lutein is increasing rapidly in the recent years. Apart from marigold flowers, microalgae is widely regarded as sustainable and promising feedstock for lutein production. However, high production cost in microalgae lutein extraction and purification process, is the major obstacle to the commercialization of microalgae based lutein. In the present work, the typical microalgae species for lutein production and their cell wall structure as well as chemical composition are comprehensively summarized. Furthermore, an extensive overview of the extraction solvents, intensification technologies and mechanisms of lutein extraction by using deep eutectic solvents are systematically presented and critically compared. Finally, the current challenges and future prospects of microalgae lutein extraction are critically discussed. This review can serve as a useful and informative reference for the microalgae lutein extraction, aiming to provide a reference for the commercialization of microalgae lutein production.