Encapsulation Techniques to Enhance Astaxanthin Utilization as Functional Feed Ingredient
Open accessAbstract
Herein, the effectiveness of astaxanthin (AX) as functional feed ingredient was assessed by enhancing its stability and bioavailability using encapsulation methods. Spray-drying and liposome entrapment were applied to a natural AX source from shrimp by-products, along with two commercially synthetic alternatives. Encapsulated AX formulations were evaluated for their physico-chemical properties, thermal stability, and in vitro performance using RTL-W1, a rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) liver-derived cell line. Both techniques achieved high encapsulation efficiency (73–89%) and provided remarkable protection to AX during thermal treatments, maintaining its stability at 80 °C for up to 2 h and at 100 °C for 30 min. Nevertheless, neither encapsulation methods significantly mitigated water absorption over time. Additionally, morphological characterization revealed spray-dried microcapsules with typical round, partially collapsed particles with a broad size distribution, while liposomes further stabilized into dry powders by spray-drying showed structural rearrangements and an increase in size upon rehydration, although maintaining a uniform and stable distribution. In vitro testing revealed enhanced RTL-W1 cell viability and reduced reactive oxygen species (ROS) production when encapsulation was employed. Overall, these findings demonstrate the potential of the selected encapsulation techniques to optimize the stability, bioavailability, and functionality of AX, providing valuable insights to improve its utilization as a functional ingredient in fish feed formulations.
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Encapsulation faces practical constraints including high production costs, uncertainties regarding scale-up, and regulatory challenges that hinder widespread industrial adoption.
“High production costs, uncertainties regarding scale-up, and regulatory challenges continue to hinder its widespread industrial adoption (Tarhan, 2020; Vitale et al., 2025).”
From Microalgae biotechnology and its role in sustainable and healthy food design (2025) · cites this paper as Vitale et al., 2025
The Introduction and Conclusions say that economic feasibility and scalability constrain large-scale use of astaxanthin encapsulation in aquafeeds, particularly liposomal formulations. They do not identify regulatory challenges as a barrier, and they describe spray-drying as cost-effective and scalable rather than treating all encapsulation methods as equally constrained. (LLM, conf=0.88)
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- Authors
- Vitale, M., Gomez-Estaca, J., Chung, J., Chua, S.-C., & Pampanin, D. M.
- Affiliations
- Skretting (Norway) (NO)
- Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnologia de Alimentos y Nutricion (ICTAN-CSIC), 28040 Madrid, Spain
- University of Stavanger (NO)
- Corresponding author
- Vitale, Matteo
- Venue
- Marine Drugs
- Publisher
- MDPI AG
- Published
- 2025-03-26
- Volume
- 23
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 143
- ISSN
- 1660-3397 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC12028729
- OpenAlex
- W4408891751
- Cited by
- 11
- References
- 65
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 6
- FWCI
- 5.15
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Marine Drugs (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DIGITAL.CSIC (Spanish National Research Council (CSIC)) (acceptedVersion, other-oa)
- DIGITAL.CSIC (Spanish National Research Council (CSIC)) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Funders
- Research Council of Norway (NFR) (#336672)
- nnovation Project Industrial Sector Ph.D. program (#336672)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Food Science › Microencapsulation and Drying Processes
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Aquatic Science › Aquaculture Nutrition and Growth
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Food Science › Proteins in Food Systems
- Keywords
- astaxanthin, encapsulation, spray drying, liposome encapsulation, functional feed ingredients, fish feed, shrimp by-products, thermal stability, bioavailability, encapsulation efficiency, microcapsules, liposomes, reactive oxygen species, cell viability, rainbow trout
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Animal Feed, Biological Availability, Capsules, Cell Line, Cell Survival, Drug Compounding, Drug Stability, Liposomes, Particle Size, Reactive Oxygen Species, Oncorhynchus mykiss, Xanthophylls
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