Produção de astaxantina a partir da microalga Haematococcus pluvialis: processos, aplicações e mercado

Abstract

Astaxanthin is a carotenoid with applications in human and animal health and nutrition, biosynthesized by many microorganisms, including the microalga Haematococcus pluvialis. The astaxanthin biosynthesis process in this microalga is carried out in the cytoplasm, starting in the vegetative phase of the life cycle and ending in the cystic phase, when secondary carotenoids are induced through physical-chemical changes in cultivation. The production of H. pluvialis occurs in open or closed cultivation structures, in semi-continuous, continuous or discontinuous modes, presenting different growth variables, productivity and characteristics related to the purity of the culture. The processes resulting from the cultivation of microalga to obtain astaxanthin consists of biomass harvest, cell disruption, drying of biomass and astaxanthin extraction. Due to the processes necessary to produce biomass and astaxanthin, the production costs are high, depending on the methods of cultivation and processing, however it has a higher market value compared to other astaxanthin sources. The astaxanthin production from H. pluvialis becomes more viable and sustainable when the biorefinery model is applied, with the integration of bioprocessing to obtain products and co-products of high value, such as proteins, lipids, carbohydrates and pigments, as well as energy generation, in order to maximize benefits and limit costs.