Standard culture conditions related to astaxanthin production in Haematococcus pluvialis

Abstract

Astaxanthin is a natural pigment widely distributed in nature and of great commercial interest as a colorant and for its diverse properties as a pigment and bioactive. Haematococcus pluvialis is a green alga that accumulates carotenoids, mainly astaxanthin, when exposed to stress conditions. However, there are no systematic studies in the literature that allow determining the stress conditions that best favor the accumulation of astaxanthin for a more profitable industrial production. To this end, a baseline of H. pluviales behavior under standard culture conditions must be initially established. The purpose of this work is through a theoretical review of the different growth conditions of H. pluviales in culture media reported to be associated with the highest astaxanthin production. For this purpose, pH, temperature, CO2, aeration, light, light/dark cycles, agitation, nitrogen and phosphorus deficiency are taken into account.