I-Corps: Production of the red carotenoid astaxanthin by marine copepod

Auburn University, Auburn AL

Investigators

Abstract

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is a genetically engineered strain of copepods (small aquatic crustaceans) that hyperproduce the natural red carotenoid, astaxanthin. Astaxanthin is an especially economically important pigment used in the aquaculture, nutraceutical, and cosmetic industries. Astaxanthin can be made synthetically but there is increasing demand for naturally sourced astaxanthin. Currently, the market value of natural astaxanthin for aquaculture feed is approximately $2000/kg and the nutraceutical market value for natural astaxanthin is alomst $15,000/kg. Recent estimates of the global astaxanthin market size are at more than 250 tons in 2014 and a projected compound annual growth rate of over 7% from 2016 to 2023. This technology provides two main benefits to customers: a natural source of astaxanthin at a potentially lower cost than current sources and potential for future engineering to further increase astaxanthin production and reduce production costs. This I-Corps project will explore the market potential of genetically engineered lineages of the marine copepod Tigriopus californicus that produced up to 80% more natural astaxanthin than wild copepods. Copepods are tiny crustaceans related to shrimp and are natural component of marine fish diets. This technology is an improvement over the current sources because copepods potentially produce more red pigment at a lower production cost, and it has been demonstrated that genetic engineering for increased astaxanthin production is feasible. This I-Corps project aims to evaluate the market opportunities for the technology through customer discovery interviews that will result in customer feedback that provides a better understanding of the requirements for commercialization. Additionally, this project has the potential to lead to significant progress in research on natural pigment production for commercial applications.