College of Food Science and Engineering, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, Shandong Province, China.
College of Marine Engineering, Rizhao Polytechnic, Rizhao, Shandong Province, China.
J Sci Food Agric. 2019 May;99(7):3662-3671. doi: 10.1002/jsfa.9588. Epub 2019 Mar 1.
Astaxanthin is used as a functional nutraceutical and pigment in many food products. It is mostly exists in the form of a fatty acid ester in nature. However, no detailed descriptions are available concerning the stability and oral absorbability of astaxanthin esters. In the present study, the thermal stability and absorbability of astaxanthin esters from Haematococcus pluvialis were evaluated in comparison with free-form astaxanthin.
The thermal stability of astaxanthin esters was found to be higher than that of free-form astaxantin. After gavage with astaxanthin esters, only free-form astaxanthin was detected in the digestive tract wall, blood plasma and liver, indicating that astaxanthin esters must be hydrolyzed to free-form astaxanthin in the gut before absorption. Furthermore, there was a considerable selective accumulation of different astaxanthin isomers in Balb/c mice, which selectivity decreased in the order: 13-cis > all-trans > 9-cis. Accumulated astaxanthin was mainly distributed in the heart, liver, spleen, muscle and adipose tissue, although significant differences between tissues were observed.
From the present study, it can be concluded that astaxanthin esters had a higher thermal stability and higher bioavailability than free-form astaxanthin. These results provide important evidence with respect to using astaxanthin esters as bioactive components to replace free-form astaxanthin in functional food products. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.
虾青素作为一种功能性营养保健品和色素被广泛应用于多种食品产品中。其在自然界中主要以脂肪酸酯的形式存在。然而，关于虾青素酯的稳定性和口服吸收性，目前尚未有详细的描述。本研究旨在比较雨生红球藻虾青素酯与游离虾青素的稳定性和吸收性。
虾青素酯的热稳定性高于游离虾青素。经灌胃给予虾青素酯后，仅在消化道壁、血浆和肝脏中检测到游离虾青素，表明虾青素酯在被吸收前必须在肠道中水解为游离虾青素。此外，在 Balb/c 小鼠中，不同虾青素异构体存在明显的选择性积累，其选择性顺序为：13-顺式>全反式>9-顺式。积累的虾青素主要分布在心脏、肝脏、脾脏、肌肉和脂肪组织中，尽管不同组织之间存在显著差异。
本研究表明虾青素酯的热稳定性和生物利用度均高于游离虾青素。这些结果为将虾青素酯作为生物活性成分替代功能性食品产品中的游离虾青素提供了重要依据。 © 2019 英国化学学会。
