Microalgae-derived astaxanthin: bioactivities, biotechnological approaches and industrial technologies for its production

Microalgae are rich sources of astaxanthin well recognized for their potent bioactivities such as antioxidant, anti-cancer, and anti-inflammatory activities. Recent interests focused on the bioactivities of microalgae-derived astaxanthin on treating or preventing cancers mediated by their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. This is due to the special structural configuration of microalgae-derived astaxanthin in terms of unsaturation (conjugated double bonds), stereochemical isomerism (3S,3'S optical isomer) and esterification (monoester), which display more potent bioactivities, compared with those from the other natural sources such as yeasts and higher plants, as well as synthetic astaxanthin. This review focuses on the recent advances on the bioactivities of microalgae-derived astaxanthin in association with cancers and immune diseases, with emphasis on their potential applications as natural antioxidants. Various well-developed biotechnological approaches for inducing astaxanthin production from microalgal culture, along with the proven and emerging industrial technologies to commercialize astaxanthin products in a large-scale manner, are also critically reviewed. These would facilitate the manufacture of bioactive microalgae-derived astaxanthin products to be applied in the food and pharmaceutical industries as salutary nutraceuticals.