Seeger Jan, Zäh Maximilian, Wendisch Volker F, Brandenbusch Christoph, Henke Nadja A
Genetics of Prokaryotes, Faculty of Biology & CeBiTec, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany.
Laboratory of Thermodynamics, TU Dortmund University, Dortmund, Germany.
Bioresour Bioprocess. 2025 May 26;12(1):46. doi: 10.1186/s40643-025-00882-9.
Astaxanthin, a red carotenoid with potent antioxidant properties, holds significant value in the feed, cosmetics, and nutraceutical industries. While traditionally sourced from microalgae, Corynebacterium glutamicum, a well-established industrial microorganism, has been engineered to serve as an efficient host for astaxanthin production. As astaxanthin integrates into the cellular membrane, effective extraction methods are essential to access this valuable compound. In this study, a sustainable batch extraction process using supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO₂) as a green solvent was developed. The effects of cosolvent concentration (0-9% (w/w)), temperature (50-75 °C), and pressure (450-650 bar) were investigated with regard to the extraction yield. An optimized extraction was achieved with 9% (w/w) ethanol as a cosolvent, at 68 °C and 550 bar, allowing the extraction of 67.5 ± 3.7% of the cellular astaxanthin within 0.5 h. Prolonging the extraction time further increased the recovery to 93.3%, which is comparable to processes that have been established for the extraction of astaxanthin from microalgae and yeast. This approach provides a scalable and environmentally friendly solution for industrial astaxanthin recovery.
虾青素是一种具有强大抗氧化特性的红色类胡萝卜素，在饲料、化妆品和营养保健品行业具有重要价值。传统上虾青素是从微藻中提取的，而谷氨酸棒杆菌作为一种成熟的工业微生物，已被改造成为生产虾青素的高效宿主。由于虾青素整合到细胞膜中，有效的提取方法对于获取这种有价值的化合物至关重要。在本研究中，开发了一种使用超临界二氧化碳（scCO₂）作为绿色溶剂的可持续分批提取工艺。研究了共溶剂浓度（0-9%（w/w））、温度（50-75°C）和压力（450-650巴）对提取产率的影响。以9%（w/w）乙醇作为共溶剂，在68°C和550巴的条件下实现了优化提取，在0.5小时内可提取细胞内67.5±3.7%的虾青素。延长提取时间可使回收率进一步提高到93.3%，这与从微藻和酵母中提取虾青素的已建立工艺相当。这种方法为工业虾青素回收提供了一种可扩展且环保的解决方案。
