Even though they live by photosynthesis, algae can get too much sun, just as humans can. When faced with difficult conditions, including excessive sun, algae protect themselves by making a compound called astaxanthin.
“Astaxanthin is a ketocarotenoid, super antioxidant molecule,” wrote researchers in a 2022 review published in the Journal of Basic Microbiology.
“It has higher antioxidant activity than a range of carotenoids, [and] thus has applications in cosmetics, aquaculture, nutraceuticals, therapeutics, and pharmaceuticals,” they wrote, adding that it was “one of the high-valued microalgae products of the future.”
Astaxanthin is in the same biochemical class as beta carotene, found in carrots and other orange foods. But astaxanthin, first identified in lobsters, comes from the marine biosystem….