amir bahri

Astaxanthin, an orange-red carotenoid pigment belonging to the xanthophyll group, is characterized by the presence of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms in its structure. Within oxygenated carotenoid derivatives, it holds the highest concentration. Astaxanthin sources can be categorized into two main groups: natural and synthetic. Extensive research has focused on the recovery of carotenoids, including astaxanthin, from solid by-products of shrimp and crustaceans. This interest stems from its potential applications in pharmaceuticals, chemicals, food, and animal feed industries, attributed to its notable coloring and antioxidant properties. This study aims to compare the extraction of astaxanthin from the shells of shrimp (Fenneropenaeus merguiensis) and Gammarus (Pontogammarus maeoticus). Two methods, the traditional soaking method and an ultrasound method utilizing a microemulsion of ionic liquid in water, were employed for the extraction process

The initial step involved the preparation of sample powder using a freeze dryer. Subsequently, the extraction process was initiated by combining the prepared samples with an ionic liquid microemulsion in water, maintaining a 5:1 ratio of solvent to sample. Two distinct methods were employed for extraction: the traditional soaking method conducted at room temperature for 24 hours and the ultrasound method, carried out at ambient temperature, utilizing a power of 60 watts for a duration of 30 minutes. The assessment of astaxanthin extraction was conducted through a spectrophotometer. Various parameters, including astaxanthin extraction amount, total carotenoid amount, extraction efficiency percentage, and antioxidant activity, were scrutinized. The antioxidant activity was measured using the DPPH method

The ultrasound method proved to be highly effective in extracting astaxanthin from shrimp (Fenneropenaeus merguiensis), yielding a maximum amount of 76.30 ± 1.09 mg/ml. This result highlighted shrimp (Fenneropenaeus merguiensis) as a superior source for astaxanthin extraction compared to Gammarus (Pontogammarus maeoticus). Moreover, the study demonstrated the superior efficiency of the ultrasound method over the soaking method, with extraction efficiencies for shrimp (Fenneropenaeus merguiensis) calculated at 95% and 59%, respectively.The total carotenoid content for shrimp (Fenneropenaeus merguiensis) was measured at 77.98±1.33 ml/g and 79.77±0.46 ml/g using the soaking and ultrasound methods, respectively. Notably, the antioxidant activity of astaxanthin extracted through the traditional soaking method surpassed that of the ultrasound method. However, when compared to the synthetic antioxidant BHT, astaxanthin exhibited lower antioxidant activity at increasing concentrations in both methods.In summary, the ultrasound method demonstrated its superiority in astaxanthin extraction, with shrimp (Fenneropenaeus merguiensis) emerging as a more favorable source. Despite its lower antioxidant activity compared to BHT, astaxanthin's natural origin and extraction efficiency make it a promising candidate for various applications.

In general, the results of this research showed the importance of waste and new methods in extracting valuable compounds. In the context of extracting astaxanthin from two selected sources, shrimp (Fenneropenaeus merguiensis) emerged as a superior source compared to Gammarus (Pontogammarus maeoticus). Furthermore, the study highlighted the ultrasound method as a promising alternative to traditional extraction methods, exhibiting superior performance and efficiency. These findings contribute to the broader understanding of sustainable practices and advanced techniques in maximizing the extraction of valuable compounds from natural sources.

 Astaxanthin is a widely used carotenoid pigment in the food industry which is extracted from various natural and synthetic sources. Nowadays, due to the adverse effects of organic solvents green solvents which are non-toxic, non-volatile and environmentally friendly have been proposed. Therefore, this study focuses on comparison of the extraction of astaxanthin from shrimp (Fenneropenaeus merguiensis) and Gammarus (Pontogammarus maeoticus) under soaking conditions for 24 hours with organic solvent (combination of ethanol with ethyl acetate), green solvent (microemulsion of ionic liquid in water) and vegetable oil (sunflower oil). Ionic liquid microemulsion in water is considered a newnovel solvent for astaxanthin extraction. Determination of density, conductivity and diameter were the characteristics of microemulsion test. In extraction,Solvent to sample ratios of 5x, 12.5x and 20x were used for the extraction and compared with the control sample.

merguiensis and P. maeoticus With species approval were procured from Persian Gulf Ecology Research Institute (Iran). Commercial astaxanthin (>98 % purity), α-diphenyl-β-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) were procured from Sigma-Aldrich (USA). The HPLC grade ethanol, propanol, ethyl acetate,, tributyl octyl phosphonium bromide, Triton X-100, and n-butanol were obtained from Merck Chemicals Co. (Germany). Refined sunflower oil which was antioxidant-free, was also purchased from Hayat Company (Iran). The shell of F. merguiensis and P. maeoticus were carefully washed with distilled water, then freeze-dried (Christ-Alpha 1–4, LD freeze dryer, Germany) for 48 h at -50 °C. After sieving the powders with a laboratory sieve with a mesh smaller than 15 µm. The obtained powders were kept at Refrigerator. All experiments were done in the Food and Drug Administration Department of Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences.

 According to the results, the density of the microemulsion was determined in the range of 0.97151 g/cm3, its diameter was 15.8 nanometers and the conductivity was 312 microsiemens at 27.1°C. The results of astaxanthin extraction with different solvents in the comparison with control solvent were statistically significant (p< 0.05). According to the results obtained from the extraction of astaxanthin from two sources of shrimp and gammarus, shrimp was selected as the source with the highest amount of extracted astaxanthin. The use of green solvent (ionic liquid microemulsion in water) in a ratio of 12.5 times solvent to sample was also chosen as the optimal method. The amount of astaxanthin extracted under optimal conditions was 77.44 ± 1.09 mg/ml. The results of DPPH radical inhibition by extracted astaxanthin using ionic, oily and organic solvents compared to synthetic antioxidant BHT showed that the antioxidant activity increased with increasing the concentration of astaxanthin, but this increase was always lower than BHT.

In general, the results of this research show that the use of microemulsion based on ionic liquids is a suitable alternative to conventional methods in extracting and recovering astaxanthin from natural biological sources.