Extraction, characterization, antioxidant property and anti-inflammatory activity of carotenoids from the shell waste of Arabian red shrimp Aristeus alcocki (Ramadan, 1938)
P.M. Sherief
College of Fisheries
Kerala Agricultural University
Panangad, Cochin – 682506
Kerala, India
Abstract:
Extractions of carotenoids from the shell waste of the Arabian red shrimp Aristeus alcocki was tried using different organic solvents and vegetable oils under wet and dry condition, with and without deproteinization. The highest carotenoid yield was obtained with non-deproteinised wet waste extracted using acetone. The carotenoid yield was found to be double that of Pandalus borealis shell waste, which is currently used as one of the commercial sources of natural astaxanthin. TLC analysis of the shell waste extract showed that it contains free astaxanthin, astaxanthin monoester and astaxanthin diester in the ratio 1:1:2. GLC analysis of the fatty acids esterified with astaxanthin revealed that saturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids and poly unsaturated fatty acids(PUFAs) are in the ratio 5:3:2 in monoester, whereas in diester they are in the ratio 4:3:3. The main fatty acids in monoester and diester are palmitic acid, oleic acid, stearic acid and ω-3 PUFAs: DHA and EPA.
The in vitro antioxidant activity of the carotenoid extract showed significant hydroxyl radical scavenging activity, superoxide anion scavenging activity and inhibition of lipid peroxidation at nanogram levels. The astaxanthin extract from shrimp shell waste significantly reduced carageenan induced paw edema in mice, percentage inhibition being 47.83 and 67.11 percent at astaxanthin concentrations of 0.5 mg/kg body weight and 1.0 mg/kg body weight, respectively. The inhibition of inflammation at 1.0 mg/kg body weight was greater than that produced by the standard reference drug diclofenac. The strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities exhibited by the carotenoid extract of the shrimp shell might be due to the combined action of astaxanthin and ω-3 PUFAs present in the astaxanthin esters.
