login
Become a member
Quick Registration
Full Registration Benefits -
Free Homepages for Doctors
Free Homepages for Hospitals
Free Homepages for Medical Conference
Free Homepages for NGO's
Personal Health Record Creation
Access to all Medical Slides
Access to all Jobs & Products Sale
Indian Researcher in Australia Shows Antioxidants can Be Extracted from Prawn Shells
November 21, 2007 at 11:49 AM
Research News
The antioxidant is called astaxanthin. Its the pigment which gives cooked prawns their red colour but is almost all contained in the shells and heads thrown away.
Antioxidants are substances that may protect cells from the damage caused by unstable molecules known as free radicals. Free radical damage may lead to cancer. Antioxidants interact with and stabilize free radicals and may prevent some of the damage free radicals otherwise might cause. Examples of antioxidants include beta-carotene, lycopene, vitamins C, E, and A, and other substances.
Astaxanthin has long been recognised as being about 10 times stronger than carotene, the more common antioxidant found in many fruits and vegetables.
The technique evolved by Renuka Karuppuswamy to extract astaxanthin from waste prawn heads and shells is efficient enough to make commercial-scale extraction viable, it is acknowledged.
At present most commercial astaxanthin is produced naturally from a particular algae or synthetically by a chemical process. It is used as a health supplement for humans and also extensively in the salmon and egg production industries as an antioxidant and natural food colouring agent. It comes at a price, however, costing around $200 per gram.
Ms Karuppuswamys technique raises the possibility of not only accessing a new source of astaxanthin but also finding an environmentally friendly use for thousands of tonnes of prawn waste generated by processing plants globally each year. Australia does little prawn processing at present but that could change as prawn farmers look to value add in the future.
|
|
|
More News on: Herbs and Antioxidants, Mint It All!, Quiz on Antioxidants, Foods that Gives You Sparkling Eyes, Berries for a Healthy and Beautiful You, Anti-Aging Treatment with Vinotherapy or Wine Facials, The Fruit in News Guava, Bael - The Ultimate Medicinal Summer Fruit, Undetected Nutrient Deficiencies: the Cause of Ill Health
 Comment & Contribute
|
Medwonders Health Network
- Health News Index
 | Quiz on Antioxidants Antioxidants are substances that guard your cells against free radicals. They also play a role in preventing diseases such as those of the heart or cancer. 
|
- News Quick Links
| News Categories: |
| » | Cardio-Pulmonary Function can be a Strong Indicator for Survival Chances of Breast Cancer Patients |
| » | Post Surgery Will the Tumour Return? New Breast Cancer Test to Predict Exactly |
| » | Scientists Develop Compound That Triggers Cancer Cell Death |
| » | Iraqi National Hopes to Find Affordable Treatment for His Cancer in India |
| » | New Technique can Help Doctors Detect Pancreatic Cancer |
| More Cancer News | |
|
