Synthetic astaxanthin and natural astaxanthin are essentially different; their antioxidant capacity, content, and purity are not the same. They are different in structure. Therefore, there are differences in its efficacy and role of it.
It is produced in two ways: artificial synthesis and biological acquisition. Artificial synthesis is a chemical method to obtain from carotene; biologically getting natural generally has three biological sources: waste from the aquatic product processing industry, Phaffia rhodozyma, and microalgae ( Mainly Haematococcus Pluvialis).
It is produced in two ways: artificial synthesis and biological acquisition. Synthetic is not only expensive but also significantly different from nature in terms of structure, function, application, and safety.
In terms of structure:
Due to the optical activity of the hydroxyl groups (-oh) at both ends, it has three isomers: 3s-3's, 3r-3's, 3r-3'r (also known as levorotatory, racemic, dextrorotatory) Type, in which synthetic is a mixture of 3 kinds of structure (25% left-handed, 25% right-handed, and about 50% racemic), with little antioxidant activity, yeast-derived It is 100% dextrorotatory (3r-3'r) and has partial antioxidant activity; the above two sources of which are mainly used in the coloring of non-edible animals and materials. Only algae-derived, which has a 100% levorotatory (3s-3's) structure and has the most potent biological activity.
The chemical synthesis will inevitably introduce impurity chemicals, such as non-natural by-products generated during the synthesis process, which will reduce its bioavailability safety. With the rise of nature, the management of chemically synthesized has become more and more strict in countries worldwide. For example, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has banned chemically synthesized from entering the food and dietary supplements ( Supplements) market, and natural has obtained general safety certification (GRAS) in the FDA. It can legally enter the food and dietary supplement market. Its production generally tends to develop biological sources of nature and thereby produce it on a large scale.
Different sources of astaxanthin have other chemical structures and various antioxidant capacities. And astaxanthin's strong antioxidant capacity is reflected through its unique design. The astaxanthin extracted from Haematococcus Pluvialis has a 100% levorotatory structure, with super-strong antioxidant capacity, and its biological efficacy is also super powerful. Phaffia-derived astaxanthin has a 100% right-handed structure. Its antioxidant capacity is second; it is extracted from fish, shrimp, crabs, and other animals and is a mixture of three forms. The antioxidant power is second, and the last is artificial synthesis. Astaxanthin is a 100% racemic structure, without any antioxidant capacity, and has no biological efficacy that astaxanthin should have, so it can only be used as a chemical dye.
Therefore, natural astaxanthin is superior to synthetic astaxanthin in structure, physiological function, application effect, and safety.
