Recent research advances in astaxanthin delivery systems: Fabrication technologies, comparisons and applications

Abstract

Astaxanthin (AST) is classified as a kind of carotenoid with bright red color, powerful antioxidant activity as well as a range of health benefits. AST-based functional foods present a new thought of healthy diets with both the enhancement of food color and incorporation of nutrients. However, the poor water solubility, easy oxidation, light instability, thermal instability and peculiar smell excessively restrict its application in the food industry. In this review, common bio-based materials for various AST delivery systems suitable for different food products are highlighted. Moreover, characteristics of different delivery systems and current applications in food products are also compared and summarized. This review provides some ideas on the research trends and applications of AST delivery systems in food. The joint use of two or more materials can significantly enhance the stability of delivery systems. All of the encapsulation systems slow down the degradation of AST to a certain extent and can be applied to different food systems. However, studies and applications are still focused on emulsions and microcapsules with unsatisfactory odor masking effects. In the future, diverse AST-loaded delivery systems with high encapsulation efficacy, good stability, odor masking effects and cost-effective preparation technologies will be the major research trends.

Keywords:

• Astaxanthin
• bioavailability
• delivery system
• encapsulation
• food applications
• functional foods

Author contributions

J. Sun collected literature and drafted the manuscript. Z. Wei conceptualized the idea, drafted the outline, gave a guide to professional knowledge, edited and revised the article. C. Xue revised the article. All authors read and approved the final version of the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the startup fund from Ocean University of China (grant No. 862001013134). This work was also funded by the National Key R&D Program of China (grant No. 2018YFC0311201).