Algatechnologies Launches Water-Soluble Astaxanthin

Natural-astaxanthin supplier Algatechnologies (Kibbutz Ketura, Israel) has added a 2% water-soluble version to its AstaPure line. The company says that while natural astaxanthin is lipid soluble and can usually be used in oil-based formulations, there is high market demand for a water-soluble format for products such as cosmetics and beverages. The company says that beverage manufacturers in Japan have already been using the ingredient.

“Since natural astaxanthin was recognized as GRAS by the FDA, we are seeing a growing demand from food and beverages manufacturers seeking water-soluble formulations of our AstaPure brand,” said Efrat Kat, the company’s director of marketing and sales, in a press release.

The new astaxanthin emulsion is produced using patent-protected, ISO- and GMP-compliant technology that is based on food-grade, 100%-water-soluble micelles of approximately 30-nm diameter that allow for a highly stable product form with respect to pH and temperature.

The company says the ready-to-use formulation can easily be added to liquid-filled capsules or any other water-soluble application.

Other ingredients in the AstaPure line include a 10% astaxanthin oleoresin, 2.5% astaxanthin beadlets, 2% astaxanthin vegetarian beadlets, cold-water-dispersible beadlets, 3% astaxanthin powder, and 4-mg astaxanthin capsules.