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Valorisation of astaxanthin derived from waste crab shells recovered by low-footprint and low-cost method


Funder: Babes̗-Bolyai University and the European Social Fund, through the project POCU: Antrepreneurship and innovation in doctoral and postdoctoral research

Competition:Group III recruitment competition within project POCU 123886

Duration: antrepreneurial education 1.5.2021-1.5.2022; research project - ongoing

Function: Principal investigator (scientific part); participant - postdoctoral student (antrepreneurial part)

Project scope (scientific part)

Astaxanthin is a carotenoid known for its antioxidative capacity, which may reach up to 100 times higher than tocopherol. It is being incorporated in numerous nutritional supplements and animal feed. Astaxanthin attached a particular research interest in the fields of spectroscopy, nutrition and nanomedicine.


This project aims to develop a cheap an effective method for obtaining and re-utilization astaxanthin-rich extracts from waste biogenic materials leftover from crustaceans industrial exploitation. Am optimised extraction procedure will be developed for further use not only the valuable carotenoid, but also the porous biogenic matrix relying on Mg-calcite mineral on chitin-protein scaffold. Finally, a formulation of the purified astaxanthin into usable solutions, aggregates and tablets will be proposed, as added-value products from waste. The project goal is to develop a robust, inexpensive and sustainable procedure for extraction and purification of astaxanthin from crab shells as an added-value by-product.


Objectives

Aim: Develop a robust, inexpensive and sustainable procedure for extraction and purification of astaxanthin from crab shells (seafood waste) as an added-value by-product. Formulate astaxanthin products as 1) solution, 2) aggregates, 3) in solid state (pressed into a tablet).

  1. Optimization of astaxanthin extraction from the waste crab shells.)
  2. Purification of extracted astaxanthin

  3. Establishing astaxanthin-containing products
  4. Knowledge dissemination.

Achievements

  • Accumulated knowledge base on existing extraction methods of carotenoids from crustacean shells, their advantages and drawbacks.
  • Method established for efficient carotenoids extraction using acetone.
  • method established for purification of carotenoids based on solvent-solvent extraction and preparative HPLC..

Project Director

Fran Nekvapil

Dr. Fran Nekvapil - Principal investigator

Fran is a researcher at the Faculty of Physics, Babes̗-Bolyai University (Romania) and at the Nat. Inst. for Research and Development of Isotopic and Molecular Technologies (Romania). His mainstream expertise revolves around spectroscopy methods, especially Raman spectroscopy applied to research of biogenic materials and metallic nanomaterials, in conjunction with other methods such as electron microscopy, diffraction and other.

e-mail: fran.nekvapil@uggcluj.ro