Marine Carotenoids: Properties, Health Benefits, and Applications

A special issue of Marine Drugs (ISSN 1660-3397). This special issue belongs to the section "Marine-Derived Ingredients for Drugs, Cosmeceuticals and Nutraceuticals".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2025 | Viewed by 445

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Faculty of Physics and Applied Computer Science, AGH University of Krakow, 30-059 Krakow, Poland
Interests: carotenoids; antioxidants; metabolic disorders; environmental microbiology; phototrophic bacteria

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Carotenoids are natural pigments that are largely responsible for the beauty of the underwater world. They are synthesised by a number of marine species including bacteria, archaea, algae, and fungi. Non-phototrophic marine organisms acquire them from natural sources within their ecosystems. Marine carotenoids exhibit distinctive structural features and biological activity of key importance for all groups of organisms, including humans. In recent years, they have gained a lot of attention not only as beneficial health agents but also as high-value compounds in a wide range of industrial applications.

This Special Issue of Marine Drugs is dedicated to widely abundant marine carotenoids. Its objective is to bring together researchers from various fields of science to present recent findings on different aspects of marine carotenoid properties, mechanisms of action, beneficial effects (not limited to those affecting humans), and potential clinical and biotechnological applications. Reports on novel methods of extraction, purification, and laboratory modifications are also welcome.

Dr. Joanna Fiedor
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • marine carotenoids
  • distribution
  • biosynthesis
  • absorption
  • metabolism
  • bioavailability
  • functions
  • mechanisms of action
  • antioxidant activity
  • health effects
  • reduction in chronic disease risk
  • anti-cancer, anti-diabetes, anti-inflammatory, anti-obesity, and anti-photoaging activities
  • clinical, pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and cosmeceutical applications
  • extraction, purification, and structure elucidation

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

19 pages, 4069 KiB  
Article
Encapsulation Techniques to Enhance Astaxanthin Utilization as Functional Feed Ingredient
by Matteo Vitale, Joaquin Gomez-Estaca, Janete Chung, Seong-Chea Chua and Daniela Maria Pampanin
Mar. Drugs 2025, 23(4), 143; https://doi.org/10.3390/md23040143 - 26 Mar 2025
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Abstract
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 [...] Read more.
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. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Carotenoids: Properties, Health Benefits, and Applications)
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