Astaxanthin Ingredient Now GRAS Approved

Israel-based astaxanthin manufacturer Algatechnologies (Ketura, Israel) announced that its natural AstaPure brand has received GRAS status from FDA for use in food and beverages.

The company says it’s the only supplier to use entirely closed cultivation systems, with total exposure to natural sunlight, to cultivate its microalgae. All of its products are manufactured using super-critical CO2 technology, which obtains 10% astaxanthin in oleoresin form, using no solvent extracts. The ingredient is both GMP and kosher certified.

“Our AstaPure brand has been successfully applied for several years as an active ingredient in dietary supplements, foods, and beverages in Japan,” says Efrat Kat, the company’s director of marketing and sales.

The company says that this year it will expand its production capacity by 50%.

Astaxanthin is a highly potent antioxidant, recognized as being approximately 500 times more effective than vitamin E and much more powerful than other carotenoids such as lutein, lycopene, and beta-carotene, the company says. Astaxanthin has uses in sports nutrition as well as cardiovascular and skin health.