Canthaxanthin is a chemical compound, a di-ketocarotenoid also known as β,β-carotene-4,4′-dione.

Canthaxanthin, which is readily available in algae, flamingos, mushrooms and crustaceans, has a characteristic orange-red colour and is the basis for the production of a commercially relevant ketocarotenoid, astaxanthin.

What it is used for and where

Medical

Canthaxanthin, a tetraterpene pigment, has antioxidant (1) and skin regenerating properties and can be considered a vitamin A intermediate with immune system boosting capabilities (2).

Commercially it would be an interesting product, but its use is limited by its poor solubility due to its lipophilic nature and instability (3).

Food

It is used as a food colouring, an ingredient included in the list of European food additives as E161g.

Safety

This study considers that Canthaxanthin may have some undesirable effects on human health, in particular some toxicity towards the macula vascular system also called Canthaxanthin retinopathy (4).

References_____________________________________________________________________

(1) Rebelo BA, Farrona S, Ventura MR, Abranches R. Canthaxanthin, a Red-Hot Carotenoid: Applications, Synthesis, and Biosynthetic Evolution. Plants (Basel). 2020 Aug 15;9(8):1039. doi: 10.3390/plants9081039.

(2) Esatbeyoglu T, Rimbach G. Canthaxanthin: From molecule to function. Mol Nutr Food Res. 2017 Jun;61(6). doi: 10.1002/mnfr.201600469.

(3) Castangia I, Manca ML, Razavi SH, Nácher A, Díez-Sales O, Peris JE, Allaw M, Terencio MC, Usach I, Manconi M. Canthaxanthin Biofabrication, Loading in Green Phospholipid Vesicles and Evaluation of In Vitro Protection of Cells and Promotion of Their Monolayer Regeneration. Biomedicines. 2022 Jan 12;10(1):157. doi: 10.3390/biomedicines10010157.

(4) Sujak A. Interactions between canthaxanthin and lipid membranes--possible mechanisms of canthaxanthin toxicity. Cell Mol Biol Lett. 2009;14(3):395-410. doi: 10.2478/s11658-009-0010-8.