As the richest source of
astaxanthin, a natural
antioxidant and coloring agent, the unicellular green alga,
Haematococcus pluvialis, is being commercially exploited. A major constraint in the
Haematococcus production
system, however, is the thick, rigid
cell walls associated with
astaxanthin-rich cysts (or aplanospores). The thick walls prevent the extraction of cellular materials and consequently reduce the
bioavailability of
astaxanthin. Using a physical, chemical, or enzymatic method to disrupt the
cell wall has proven to be very expensive and also introduce the risk of oxidation of astaxanthin by
atmospheric oxygen The present invention provides a novel method for solving this problem by introducing two genetically modified
Haematococcus pluvialis mutants. These two mutants, named as D 13-17 and N54-22, contain remarkably reduced amounts of
cell wall materials, but retain the growth potential and ability to accumulate astaxanthin as high as the
wild type strain.
Organic solvent extraction efficiency
assay has demonstrated that cellular astaxanthin can be more effectively and efficiently extracted from the
cell wall-deficient mutants than from the
wild type, suggesting that the mutants may provide better
bioavailability of astaxanthin to humans and animals. The said mutants can be used for production of natural astaxanthin for human and animal consumption