Haematococcus pluvialis, a natural algae produces the highest concentrations of astaxanthin in nature.
Commercial production of natural astaxanthin in the quantities needed for use in nutraceutical supplements and functional foods is a challenging & extremely technical process.

Commercially available astaxanthin is in two form- Natural & Synthetic. Synthetic versions of astaxanthin are sometimes also labeled as “nature identical” or “nature equivalent.” However, there is substantial difference between the two.

While natural astaxanthin is derived from algae & is more than 95% esterified form, meaning natural fatty acids are attached to one or both ends in its structure, Synthetic astaxanthin is derived from petrochemicals & in completely free form or unesterified.

Chiral asymmetry exists in all biologically active molecules of humans and animals like enzymes, nucleotides, amino acids, DNA, proteins, and carbohydrates.

The three different Astaxanthin enantiomers can produce marked differences in biological activities such as toxicology, pharmacology or metabolism.