Astaxanthin (ASX), a potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compound, is gaining widespread attention in food and nutritional sciences but faces challenges like poor water solubility and low bioavailability. In a recent breakthrough, researchers have employed the probiotic bacterium Akkermansia muciniphila (AKK), known for its mucoadhesive properties, as a novel carrier to enhance ASX stability and intestinal delivery. Using immersion loading, the ASX-AKK system achieved the highest encapsulation efficiency (up to 11.47 ± 3.52 μg/mg), significantly outperforming other loading techniques. The encapsulated ASX displayed improved thermal stability, withstanding pasteurization, and showed enhanced bioaccessibility rising 25.7-fold in simulated intestinal fluid and 77.6-fold in simulated colonic fluid without compromising AKK’s natural adhesion to mucus. This dual-function formulation not only leverages the postbiotic potential of inactivated AKK but also offers targeted antioxidant release in the gut, signaling a paradigm shift in probiotic-based nutrient delivery systems.
Source: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12602-025-10572-9
