Arizona State University

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Inventors Qiang Hu
Professor College of Technology and Innovation Arizona State University

Improved Harvesting and Extraction of Carotenoids from Haematococcus Algae

AzTE Cases # M12-017 and M12-021

Invention Description
The natural red pigment and high-value antioxidant astaxanthin has great potential for aquaculture and human consumption. The green microalgae Haematococcus pluvialis is the most popular production strain because it grows rapidly and produces comparatively large amounts of astaxanthin, but current harvesting methods are inefficient due to the cells thick, rigid walls. A cost-effective, energy-efficient, and environmentally benign method for astaxanthin extraction would find immediate application.

Milton Sommerfeld
Professor College of Technology and Innovation Arizona State University

Xuezhi Zhang

Researchers at the Laboratory for Algae Research and Biotechnology (LARB) of Arizona Associate Research Professor State University have developed an improved system to harvest astaxanthin from College of Technology and Haematococcus using dissolved air flotation combined with acidification and solvent Innovation extraction using an environmentally benign solvent. Arizona State University This improved system is capable of harvesting more than 95% of the Haematococcus biomass without the need for a coagulant or flocculent, and extracting over 95% of the Wei Chen Associate Research Professor intracellular astaxanthin from Haematococcus biomass. College of Technology and Innovation Arizona State University

Potential Applications
production of food grade astaxanthin from Haematococcus pluvialis production of feed grade astaxanthin from Haematococcus pluvialis as a pigment for aquaculture and poultry industries

Intellectual Property Status:

Patent Pending

Benefits and Advantages

Contact
Tom Goodman, PhD
Director Business Development, Life Sciences Arizona Technology Enterprises, LLC (AzTE) P: 480.884.1648 F: 480.884.1984
TOMGOODMAN@AZTE.COM HEALTHSCIENCES@AZTE.COM

cost-efficient and energy efficient greatly improved harvest yields coagulant and flocculent are not required short extraction time and high extraction efficiency environmentally benign solvent used for extraction improved preservation of nutritional value and purity of cell mass reduced oxidation/degradation of astaxanthin and other carotenoids during extraction