Astaxanthin production and technology in Vietnam and other Asian countries

Abstract Astaxanthin (3,3′-dihydroxy-β,β-carotene-4,4-dione) is a known to be valuable carotenoid with strong antioxidant, which has been extensively used in various industries (such as aquaculture, nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, and food). There have been two major sources of astaxanthin: chemical (synthetic) and biological (natural) source. In nature, astaxanthin can be synthesized by plants, crustaceans by-product, bacteria, a few fungi, and green algae, in which microalga Haematococcus pluvialis is an appropriate source of natural astaxanthin exploitation that seems to be gaining potential in the market. Technology for natural astaxanthin production is an expensive process, depending on each producer, in each country. Therefore, continuous efforts were necessary to improve the different culture systems (photobioreactor (PBR) and open pond), culture models (heterotrophic and photoautotrophic), culture methods, harvesting, and astaxanthin extraction processes for enhanced production of astaxanthin-rich biomass and cost reduction in large-scale culture. In this chapter, we summarized about astaxanthin production and technology for its production in Vietnam and other Asian countries to get a more general view of this valuable product.