Method for extracting carotenoids particularly astaxanthin from a culture of microalgae

摘要

A method for extracting carotenoids, particularly astaxanthin, from a culture of microalgae by centrifuging (2) the culture medium to form a microalgae-enriched paste; diluting (4, 6) the paste in a saline solution to cause an osmotic shock on the microalgae cells; acidifying (8) and boiling (10) the solution to soften up the cell walls; filtering (12) the solution to separate the acidified cells therefrom; and washing (14) the resulting cells with an organic solvent capable of solubilising the carotenoids in said cells.