Why?
Industrial technologies for the production of natural astaxanthin from diverse micro organisms.
The major native producers of natural astaxanthin on industrial scale today are the alga Haematococcus pluvialis the yeast Xanthopyllomyces dendrorhous and the bacteria Paracoccus carotinifaciens. However, the natural production via these native producers is facing challenges and the high cost of product limits its utilization widely. Most of the pigment today on market is synthetic produced by conglomerate compagnies (DSM, BASF) but used mainly for the aquaculture sector. Two modes of production depending on the micro organisms of choice are employed these day to produce this pigment commercially. They depend on source energy required for maintaining the overall metabolism of the cells: via photosynthesis utilizing light and carbon dioxide or heterotrophically consuming sugar.
Currently natural industrial astaxanthin is obtained mainly from green alga Haematococcus pluvialis and produced in close photobioreactors utilizing either natural light (Algatech) or utilizing continuous artificial light (Algalif, Astareal). The production from fungi and bacteria is still banded for human consumption and find its way as the synthetic product to the aquaculture sector. The global market demand for natural astaxanthin is rapidly increasing since the late 80’s owing to its safety, the potential health benefits, and the diverse applications in food and pharmaceutical industries. The estimations are production of about 20 tons of pure natural pigment compare to more than 200 tons for the synthetic part. However the public perception that “natural” is better than “artificial” or “synthetic” stimulates the adoption of the natural pigment. So how we can close this gap is the main driving force of most of the Industrial compagnies involved in this sector. In our workshop we plan to discuss these issues bringing experts from different fields involved in the industrial production of this wonderful molecule. “It was, it is, and will be the main lucrative product produced by microalgae“.
Live workshop: Industrial technologies for production of natural astaxanthin in GENEVA with dinner (before your visit to VITAFOODS).
Save the date and plan to combine the event with your visit to VitaFoods Europe.
Speakers in the workshop will be annouced soon on this website.
Programme
Chair: Sammy Boussiba
Time: 13.00 – 18.30 CET
13:00 – 13:15 EABA Welcome – Carlos Unamunzaga, EABA president
13:15 – 14:00 Opening presentation: Industrial production of Astaxanthin
The science and technology perspective, Sammy Boussiba – 30 min. + 10 min. Q&A
14:15 – 15:00 + 1,5 min pitch presentation by the participants, who is who?
15:00 – 15:15 Coffee break
15:15 – 16:15 The production and business 1 – 15 min. + 5 min. Q&A
– Future demand for astaxanthin? Orri Bjornsson CEO Algalif, ICE
– Perspective on Future Directions for Astaxanthin, Pernilla Berg PhD Head of R&D and Karen Hecht, PhD Scientific Affairs, Manager Astareal, S
– HAEMATOCOCCUS PLUVIALIS: Beyond just Astaxanthin, Omer Grundman, VP R&D Algatech, ISR
16:15 – 16:45 Debate 1 – 5 min. + 5 min. Q&A
• Why Astaxanthin is the main lucrative product from microalgae?
• What render this molecule so special and unique? its role in nature? It structure? Why it is considered the king of carotenoids!
• Natural astaxanthin industry challenges for the future?
• The consumer perspective? Reasons to consume astaxanthin?
16:45 – 17:00 Coffee break
17:00 – 18:00 Debate 2 – Natural astaxanthin vs Synthetic
• How can we close the prices gap?
Public perception that “natural” is better than “artificial” or “synthetic” stimulates the adoption of the natural pigment. So how we can close this gap in production prices is the main driving force of most of the Industrial compagnies involved in this sector producing it from diversity of microorganisms.
• What will be the future role of clinical trials for astaxanthin?
18:00 – 18:15 Workshop conclusions and discussion about actions
• What EABA should do to support the sector?
• Should we have a service like NAXA in EABA? www.astaxanthin.org
18:30 Workshop closure
Networking dinner 19.00 till 21.30 (upon registration – € 70 for participants in the workshop, €95 for those joining just for dinner including wine forfait and 3 courses)
Location GENEVA Airport: Restaurant LE CHEF on the third floor, meeting room 1-3
Located in the centre of Geneva Airport, overlooking the tarmac and offering a breath-taking view of the Jura mountain range, le Chef offers professional meeting rooms for the workshop.
After the meeting a special part of restaurant Le Chef is reserved for our group. The restaurant offers a refined cuisine, marked by an unconditional love of local products. Upon registration you can join the 3-course networking dinner that will enrich your network.
Chair:
Sammy Boussiba,
VIce-president of EABA and Professor Emeritus Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel
Fees:
€ 599,- regular
€ 399,- for EABA members
€ 150 speakers ticket
€ 70,- for the dinner in restaurant Le Chef at Geneva Airport, same location as the workshop: members and non-members fee (including drinks).
The fees will be increased 50% five days prior to the event.
No VAT is charged. Payment per credit card or Ideal. Invoice provided.
When you need an invoice to make a bank transfer, fill out all details in the registration form and send a mail to info@algaeworkshops.org. The invoice can be prepared by the organisers. Please note: all payments have to be made before the start of the webinar.
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