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Astaxanthin is an important natural pigment, a diketo carotenoid that besides being a food ingredient has importance as a nutraceutical. Astaxanthin is a fat-soluble nutrient with a molecular weight of 596.8 Da (Dalton) and a molecular formula of C 40 H 52 O 4. It is water insoluble and lipophilic. Organisms that produce astaxanthin include the basidiomycetous yeast; Phaffia rhodozyma, the green alga; Haematococcus pluvialis and the Gram-negative bacteria; Agrobacterium aurantiacum, Paracoccus marcusii, P. carotinifaciens, Paracoccus sp. strain MBIC 01143, and P. haeundaensis. Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous and Haematococcus pluvialis, which are potential sources of astaxanthin. The antioxidant properties of astaxanthin are believed to have a key role in the medicinal, pharmaceutical, and food industries. Astaxanthin acts as a free-radical scavenger and an immunomodulator. It is a medicinal ingredient against degenerative diseases such as cancer, skin related illness, and heart disease. Presently, this carotenoid is used as a major pigmentation source and a feed supplement in aquaculture, primarily salmon, trout, crabs, shrimp, chickens, and red sea bream. The present review focuses on the pharmacological connotations of astaxanthin and specifies the natural sources and pathways of its production along with other relevant aspects.

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The study demonstrates a sustainable process for production of bio-crude oil via hydrothermal liquefaction of microbial biomass generated through co-cultivation of microalgae and bacteria coupled with wastewater remediation. Biomass concentration and wastewater treatment efficiency of a tertiary consortium (two microalgae and two bacteria) was evaluated on four different wastewater samples. Total biomass concentration, total nitrogen and COD removal efficiency was found to be 3.17 g L−1, 99.95% and 95.16% respectively when consortium was grown using paper industry wastewater in a photobioreactor under batch mode. Biomass concentration was enhanced to 4.1 g L−1 through intermittent feeding of nitrogen source and phosphate. GC-MS and FTIR analysis of bio-crude oil indicates abundance of the hydrocarbon fraction and in turn, better oil quality. Maximum distillate fraction of 30.62% lies within the boiling point range of 200–300 °C depicting suitability of the bio-crude oil for conversion into diesel oil, jet fuel and fuel for stoves.

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