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“Our target is to maintain and enhance our leading position in the astaxanthin European market by providing ingredients of the highest quality and purity,” said Efrat Kat, Marketing Manager at Algatechnologies. “We continue to employ strictly controlled manufacturing operations and quality-assurance controls in our facilities. We will constantly increase our distribution network in Europe, as it is a major market for astaxanthin as demonstrated by a growth rate in double-digits over the last few years"

The market size of astaxanthin for human use is currently valued to be between €14million and €19million; it is forecast to experience significant growth over the next few years, driven by the increase in awareness of its health benefits.

Algatechnologies, a supplier of natural astaxanthin produced from Haematococcus pluvialis microalgae is located in Israel's Arava desert – an ideal location for algae cultivation due to the stable climate conditions in the area and year-round high light intensities.

“Producing the microalgae in a closed system and using sunlight as the energy source, allows us to offer an extremely pure product with the highest astaxanthin level. Our products are pesticide-free and allergen-free, and offered at competitive prices," added Efrat Kat.

The company employs high pressure Super Critical CO2 extraction technology in order to produce 10% astaxanthin in an oleoresin form. This technology does not require the use of organic solvents and therefore the product does not contain any solvents residues.

Algatechnologies holds a world patent for its closed, environmentally protected cultivation system, allowing the production of a pure astaxanthin product, AstaPure, without biological or chemical contamination. Algatechnologies holds ISO 9001/2000, HACCP and GMP (for food) international accreditations.

Astaxanthin is a very potent antioxidant, recognized to be about 500 times more effective than vitamin E and much more powerful than other carotenoids, such as lutein, lycopene and beta-carotene. Astaxanthin supports a number of health conditions including eye health, skin health and health disorders related to the central nervous system.