title: Isolation and purification of canthaxanthin from the microalga Chlorella zofingiensis by high-speed counter-current chromatography.
abstract: Certain microalgae are considered to be a potential source of canthaxanthin, which possesses strong antioxidant and anticancer activities. A high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) method was developed for the separation and purification of canthaxanthin from the microalga Chlorella zofingiensis. The crude canthaxanthin was obtained by extraction with organic solvents after the microalgal sample had been saponified. Preparative HSCCC, with a two-phase solvent system composed of n-hexane-ethanol-water (10:9:1 v/v), was successfully performed yielding canthaxanthin at 98.7% purity from 150 mg of the crude extract (2.1% canthaxanthin) in a one-step separation. The recovery of canthaxanthin was 92.3%. This was the first report that canthaxanthin was successfully separated and purified from microalgae.
authors.affiliation: Department of Botany, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hua-Bin
authors.forename: King-Wai
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D016644:Canthaxanthin / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D002708:Chlorella / Q000737:chemistry*; D003377:Countercurrent Distribution / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D015394:Molecular Structure; D012997:Solvents / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D012997:Solvents; D016644:Canthaxanthin