New AstaReal Astaxanthin Plant Will Double Production Capacity

Due to increased demand for its AstaReal astaxanthin brand, Fuji Health Science Inc. (Burlington, NJ) is planning to build a new manufacturing facility in Moses Lake, WA. The company says the plant will more than double AstaReal production by 2015. It expects the site to start producing AstaReal by summer 2014.

The environment in Moses Lake-natural fresh water lakes and a fertile ecosystem-is said to be well suited to AstaReal production. (The firm also recently expanded its AstaReal plant in Sweden.) The company says the new facility will feature environment friendly, pure bioreactor cultivation technology for the freshwater microalga Haematococcus pluvialis.

Demand for natural astaxanthin is on the rise, the company says, estimating that the current global market for the ingredient is $200 million, which is set to grow to $700 million by 2017.