Extraction, Identification and Evaluation of Astaxanthin Rich Extract from Shrimp Waste

Hashem, Shimaa Abd Ellah; Abou-raya, Salah Hussein; Abdelaziz, Mohammed Emad Eldin

doi:10.21608/ejchem.2025.353384.11174

Extraction, Identification and Evaluation of Astaxanthin Rich Extract from Shrimp Waste

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Food Science Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University.

² Food Tech. Dept., Fac. Agric., Cairo Univ., Giza, Egypt

³ Food science department, Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo Giza 12613, Egypt

10.21608/ejchem.2025.353384.11174

Abstract

Due to the massive accumulation of garbage, waste products from the seafood processing sectors pose a larger environmental danger. These wastes represent a greater supply of naturally occurring carotenoids, which have enormous potential for use in medicine, cosmetics and food products. The study's objective was to extract astaxanthin, a red-orange carotenoid pigment, from shrimp waste. Acetone and petroleum ether, two organic solvents, were used together to extract AST. Utilizing high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to identify and quantify AST, the AST yield from the acetone extract was 24.4mg/l. A strong AST extract's antioxidant activity reached to 97.3115 ±1.5, 84.072 ±2.1 and 94.243 ±2.92 by DPPH, ABTS and FRAP, respectively. The Extract was tested with the agar well diffusion method for its antibacterial capabilities against (Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus) as positive – gram bacteria, and (Salmonella typhimurium, Escherichia coli) as negative gram bacteria were evaluated, significant inhibitory zones against both Salmonella typhimurium 17.5 mm. As gram-negative bacteria and Bacillus subtilis as gram-positive bacteria 14.3 mm at a concentration of 100%. The extract was screened for their anticancer activities against MCF7 breast cancer cells and HepG-2 (hepatocellular carcinoma cells) the results indicate that the MCF7 was sensitive at IC50 with 84.5µM and HepG-2 was sensitive at IC50 with 101.5µM. In this study, AST showed unique antioxidant, antibacterial, and anticancer property.

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