astaxanthin

noun

as·​ta·​xan·​thin ˌa-stə-ˈzan(t)-thən 

: a carotenoid pigment C₄₀H₅₂O₄ found in red- or pink-colored aquatic organisms (such as shrimp, lobster, and salmon) and the feathers of some birds that is used especially as a food coloring and dietary supplement

Wild salmon attain their color by absorbing a carotenoid called astaxanthin from their krill-based diet, while farmed salmon eat fish feed supplemented with various sources of astaxanthin to enhance their grayish color.

—Cook's Illustrated

Astaxanthin is found in many marine animals, like shrimp and fish, and is also responsible for the pink color of flamingos that feed on crustaceans rich in the pigment.

—C. Claiborne Ray

Examples of astaxanthin in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Shrimp is also high in nutrients like vitamin B12, selenium, and astaxanthin, a powerful antioxidant that protects against cellular damage.67 Shrimp is a great low-carbohydrate, high-protein addition to salads and stir-fries. —Jillian Kubala, Health, 14 Apr. 2025

Unlike fish oil, krill oil gets its red color from the antioxidant astaxanthin, which can support eye health and reduce inflammation. —Stephanie Brown, Verywell Health, 27 Feb. 2025

While additional clinical trials are needed to understand the efficacy of astaxanthin on depressive symptoms in humans, initial studies in mice have been promising. —Amiah Taylor, Discover Magazine, 25 Dec. 2024

Specifically, astaxanthin – a red carotenoid pigment that naturally occurs in marine life like algae – may be effective in treating psychiatric disorders, according to Frontiers in Pharmacology. —Amiah Taylor, Discover Magazine, 25 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from German, from Astacin, an oxidation product of astaxanthin (from New Latin Astacus, genus including Astacus gammarus, the European lobster—now Homarus gammarus— + German -in -in entry 1) + Xanthin "carotenoid pigment," from Greek xanthós "yellow" + German -in -in entry 1; Astacus going back to Latin, "lobster or crayfish," borrowed from Greek astakós, ostakós, of uncertain origin — more at xantho-

Note: The name Astacin was introduced by the German chemist Richard Kuhn (1900-67) and the Austrian-born French chemist Edgar Lederer (1908-88) in "Über die Farbstoffe des Hummers (Astacus gammarus L.) und ihre Stammsubstanz, das Astacin," Berichte der Deutschen Chemischen Gesellschaft, 66. Jahrgang, Nr. 4 (April 5, 1933), pp. 488-95.— Greek astakós/ostakós has been traced to a hypothetical Indo-European derivative *h₂osth₁-n̥-ko- from the base *h₂ost- "bone" (see osseous), supposedly comparable to Sanskrit an-ástha-ka- "without bones." The variant astakós is explained as either vowel assimilation or the outcome of an ablaut variant *h₂est- (allegedly seen also in astrágalos "neck vertebra, ankle bone"; see astragalus). Beekes (Etymological Dictionary of Greek, Brill, 2010), who reconstructs the "bone" base as *h₃esth₁-, objects that the formation *h₃esth₁-n̥-ko- is unparalleled in Greek, and that the a/o fluctuation (not to mention the semantic field) is indicative of substratal origin.

First Known Use

1939, in the meaning defined above