Bioaccessibility and intestinal cell uptake of astaxanthin from salmon and commercial supplements

We compared the bioaccessibility of astaxanthin (Ast) in uncooked and cooked wild and aquacultured salmon, Ast‐supplements and krill oil. Salmon flesh contained free E ‐ and Z ‐Ast, whereas Ast esters were predominant in commercial supplements and krill oil. Wild salmon contained ~10 times more Ast than aquacultured salmon; canthaxanthin was abundant (79.5 ± 4.6% of total keto‐carotenoids) in the latter. Cooking wild and acquacultured salmon using common home styles decreased Ast content by 48–57% and 35–47%, respectively. The efficiency of transfer of Ast into mixed micelles during simulated digestion of uncooked wild salmon was 43%, but only 12% for uncooked acquacultured salmon. Cooking wild salmon decreased the bioaccessibility of Ast, although it remained significantly greater than that for uncooked and cooked acquacultured salmon. The bioaccessibility of Ast (41–67%) after digestion of soft‐gel supplements containing Ast was ≥ that in uncooked wild salmon; bioaccessibility of endogenous Ast in phospholipid‐rich krill oil supplement was 68%. Greater than 95% of bio accessible Ast in digested supplements was unesterified. Apical uptake of E ‐Ast in micelles generated during digestion of uncooked and cooked wild salmon was similar. Apical uptake and basolateral secretion of E ‐Ast by Caco‐2 cells was greater after exposure to micelles generated during digestion of Ast‐enriched krill oil than digested uncooked wild salmon, suggesting that digestion products of phospholipid‐rich krill oil enhance Ast bioaccessibility and bioavailability. Because wild salmon contains health promoting components such as omega‐3 fatty acids and bioactive peptides in addition to Ast, it should be considered as a dietary source of bioavailable Ast. Support or Funding Information The Ohio State Agriculture Research and Development Center