Natural Astaxanthin Softgels

Astaxanthin is the deep red xanthophyll carotenoid 3,3'-dihydroxy-β,β-carotene-4,4'-dione, CAS 472-61-7, C40H52O4, molecular weight 596.85. It is a dark red crystalline solid melting near 216 °C, practically insoluble in water at under 1 mg per litre and freely soluble in chloroform, acetone and ethanol, which is why it is formulated as an oil-suspension softgel rather than a tablet. In Haematococcus pluvialis the carotenoid is not free: it sits in the cyst as fatty acid esters, and the EU novel-food specification for the oleoresin puts monoesters at 66.7 to 91.5 per cent and diesters at 0.16 to 32.50 per cent of total astaxanthin, with the all-trans isomer predominating above 60 per cent, 9-cis at 0.3 to 30.0 per cent and 13-cis at 0.2 to 7.0 per cent. A buyer comparing offers should compare total astaxanthin, and should ask which figure the seller is quoting. Thovek builds the softgel on oleoresin obtained by supercritical carbon dioxide extraction of homogenised, dried H. pluvialis biomass. The oleoresin assessed by EFSA as a novel food runs 10.0 to 11.1 per cent w/w total astaxanthin with total carotenoids at 11.02 to 11.16 per cent, fat at 42.2 to 99.0 g/100 g, protein at 4.4 g/100 g or less and ash at 4.2 g/100 g or less; 5 and 20 per cent oleoresin grades and 1.5 to 3.5 per cent dried-biomass powders are also run. For the finished unit the oleoresin is cut into safflower, sunflower, MCT or olive oil, stabilised with mixed tocopherols and rosemary extract, and filled at 4, 6 or 12 mg astaxanthin per softgel. Shell options are bovine gelatin, fish gelatin or a vegan modified-starch and carrageenan shell, and that single choice drives both the dietary claim and the allergen line on the finished pack. Two regulatory points matter at order stage. India's FSSAI permits astaxanthin at 2 to 12 mg per day under Schedule II of the 2022 nutraceutical regulations and permits only natural astaxanthin from H. pluvialis; synthetic astaxanthin is not compliant and is not offered here. EFSA's FEEDAP Panel set an ADI of 0.2 mg per kg body weight per day, about 14 mg for a 70 kg adult, which is the ceiling most EU-facing formulators build under. On allergens, the active is microalgal: it is not crustacean-derived and carries no crustacean allergen, worth stating plainly because astaxanthin is popularly associated with shellfish. A fish gelatin shell brings fish into the declaration; the EU Annex II exemption for fish gelatine used as a carrier for vitamin or carotenoid preparations may apply, but the buyer should confirm it for the destination market rather than assume it. There is no authorised EU health claim for astaxanthin, and Thovek describes composition and carotenoid antioxidant function only, with no therapeutic claim.