Astaxanthin

CAS 472-61-7

Listed as a colour by the US.

Listed as colours (US)
Chemical structure of Astaxanthin, from PubChem compound 5281224
Structure from PubChem CID 5281224 (National Library of Medicine, public domain). A depiction of one compound: where a listing covers a family, or a substance has no single structure, this page shows none.

Astaxanthin is the pink-red carotenoid that gives salmon, trout and shrimp their colour. Most of it is used in aquaculture feed rather than added to food directly: farmed salmon are pale without it.

Where it is and isn’t permitted

Status of Astaxanthin by jurisdiction. Every jurisdiction this site covers is listed, including those where the substance does not appear.
JurisdictionStatusScope and limitsCitation
Australia and New ZealandFood Standards Australia New ZealandNo listed food uses foundThis site has not matched this substance to any food use on this jurisdiction’s list of authorised food additives. A food additive may be used only in foods that list names. Flavourings, enzymes, processing aids and added nutrients are regulated separately and do not appear on it.
CanadaHealth CanadaNo listing matchedHealth Canada’s lists name additives without E or INS numbers, so this site matches them by exact name. A substance listed there under a name this site does not recognise has no row here.
European UnionEuropean Commission / EFSANo listed food uses foundThis site has not matched this substance to any food use on this jurisdiction’s list of authorised food additives. A food additive may be used only in foods that list names. Flavourings, enzymes, processing aids and added nutrients are regulated separately and do not appear on it.
Great BritainFood Standards Agency / Food Standards ScotlandNo listed food uses foundThis site has not matched this substance to any food use on this jurisdiction’s list of authorised food additives. A food additive may be used only in foods that list names. Flavourings, enzymes, processing aids and added nutrients are regulated separately and do not appear on it.
JapanConsumer Affairs AgencyNo listing matchedThis site imports only Japan’s list of designated additives (Appended Table 1 to the Regulations for Enforcement of the Food Sanitation Act), matched by English name. Existing additives, natural flavouring agents and ordinary foods used as additives are permitted outside that list and are not imported, so an empty row does not show that Japan does not permit the substance.
South KoreaMinistry of Food and Drug SafetyNo listing matchedThis site imports Part III of South Korea’s Standards and Specifications for Food Additives, matched by CAS number, then INS number, then exact name. Mixed preparations and sanitisers are not imported, and an entry whose identifiers disagreed with a page’s is held for review, so an empty row does not show that South Korea does not permit the substance.
United StatesFood and Drug AdministrationPermitted21 CFR 73.35retrieved 2026-10-17
Codex AlimentariusCodex Alimentarius Commission / JECFANot listedDoes not appear on this jurisdiction’s permitted list. That is not the same as being prohibited.

How much is permitted

A listing usually limits the quantity as well as the food. Only one of the forms that takes is a figure: quantum satis and good manufacturing practice permit the amount the technological effect requires and no more, which is a limit rather than the absence of one. Figures below are the range across every food category this page is listed in, and categories differ between regulators — see how much is permitted.

United States—1 no quantity stated

No regulator sets a figure for Astaxanthin. That is not an absence of control: where the listing says quantum satis or good manufacturing practice, the quantity is limited to what the effect requires.

What it is made from

Produced by chemical synthesis, by fermentation with the yeast Phaffia rhodozyma, or extracted from the alga Haematococcus pluvialis. The FDA lists these sources separately because their specifications differ.

  • Vegan status depends on the source
  • Vegetarian status depends on the source

This is not an omission. What this additive is made from is not fixed — depending on the manufacturer it may be plant, animal or microbial in origin, nobody is required to say which, and the same product can change source between production runs. Ask the manufacturer if it matters to you; a label cannot answer it.

Compare other additives on the dietary indexes.

CAS registry number
472-61-7
InChIKey
MQZIGYBFDRPAKN-UWFIBFSHSA-N
PubChem
CID 5281224

Every name it appears under

55 recorded names. A label may use any of them.

E number

  • E161J

CAS registry number

  • 472-61-7

As it appears in regulation

  • Astaxanthin

Other names

  • (3S,3'S)-3,3'-DIHYDROXY-.BETA.,.BETA.-CAROTENE-4,4'-DIONE
  • (3S,3'S)-3,3'-Dihydroxy-beta,beta-carotene-4,4'-dione
  • (3S,3'S)-all-trans-Astaxanthin
  • (3S,3'S)-Astaxanthin
  • .beta.,.beta.-Carotene-4,4'-dione, 3,3'-dihydroxy-, (3S,3'S)-
  • .beta.-Carotene-4,4'-dione, 3,3'-dihydroxy-, all-trans-
  • 3,3'-Dhydroxy-4,4'-diketo-b-carotene
  • 3,3'-Dihydroxy-.beta.,.beta.-carotene-4,4'-dione, (3S,3'S)-
  • 3,3'-DIHYDROXY-4,4'-DIKETO-.BETA.-CAROTENE
  • 3,3'-dihydroxy-4,4'-diketo-beta,beta-carotene
  • 3,3'-DIHYDROXY-B,B-CAROTENE-4,4'-DIONE
  • 3,3'-Dihydroxy-beta,beta-carotene-4,4'-dione, (3S,3'S)-
  • 3,3'-Dihydroxy-beta-carotene-4,4'-dione
  • 3,3’-Dihydroxy-β,β-carotene-4,4’-dione
  • 3S,3'S-Astaxanthin
  • 8XPW32PR7I
  • all-trans-(3S,3'S)-astaxanthin
  • all-trans-3,3'-dihydroxy-b-Carotene-4,4'-dione (8CI)
  • all-trans-3,3'-dihydroxy-beta-Carotene-4,4'-dione (8CI)
  • all-trans-Astaxanthin
  • all-trans-Astaxanthin, analytical standard
  • AstaREAL
  • Astaxanthin
  • Astaxanthin (6CI)
  • Astaxanthin (Standard)
  • Astaxanthin - 95%
  • Astaxanthin Oil 10%
  • Astaxanthin(3,3-Dihydroxy-Beta,Beta-Carotene-4,4-Dione)
  • Astaxanthin, (3S,3'S)-
  • Astaxanthin, 5% active
  • Astaxanthin, >=98% (HPLC)
  • Astaxanthin, all-trans-
  • Astaxanthin, all-trans-, (3S,3'S)-
  • Astaxanthin, |?-Carotene-4,4'-dione, trans-Astaxanthin
  • Astaxanthine
  • astaxantin
  • beta,beta-Carotene-4,4'-dione, 3,3'-dihydroxy-, (3S,3'S)-
  • beta-Carotene-4,4'-dione
  • BioAstin
  • BioAstin oleoresin
  • Carophyll Pink
  • CCRIS 7118
  • E9AI950EAH
  • HSDB 7468
  • Lucantin Pink
  • Natupink
  • Ovoester
  • trans-Astaxanthi
  • trans-Astaxanthin

Systematic names

  • (6S)-6-hydroxy-3-[(1E,3E,5E,7E,9E,11E,13E,15E,17E)-18-[(4S)-4-hydroxy-2, 6,6-trimethyl-3-oxocyclohexen-1-yl]-3,7,12,16-tetramethyloctadeca-1,3,5,7,9,11,13,15,17-nonaenyl]-2,4,4-trimethylcyclohex-2-en-1-one
  • (6S,6'S)-3,3'-((1E,3E,5E,7E,9E,11E,13E,15E,17E)-3,7,12,16-tetramethyloctadeca-1,3,5,7,9,11,13,15,17-nonaene-1,18-diyl)bis(6-hydroxy-2,4,4-trimethylcyclohex-2-en-1-one)
  • (6S,6'S)-3,3'-((1E,3E,5E,7E,9E,11E,13E,15E,17E)-3,7,12,16-tetramethyloctadeca-1,3,5,7,9,11,13,15,17-nonaene-1,18-diyl)bis(6-hydroxy-2,4,4-trimethylcyclohex-2-enone)

Hazard reference values

Values set by assessing bodies. A body that has not set a value is not listed here.
TypeValuePopulationAssessed byOpinion
ADI0.034 mg/kg bwconsumersEFSA FEEDAP2014
ADI0.034 mg/kg bw/dayconsumersEFSA FEEDAP2014
ADI0.2 mg/kg bwadultsEFSAnot identified in the dataset
ADI0.2 mg/kg bwchildrenEFSAnot identified in the dataset
ADI0.2 mg/kg bwinfantsEFSAnot identified in the dataset

Evidence and how bodies read it

Studies, and the differing conclusions regulators drew from them, are curated rather than machine-read, and none has been written for this substance yet.

Common questions

Assembled from what is above, in the words the questions are usually asked in. Each answer is the same statement the relevant section makes, with the same citations behind it.

What is Astaxanthin?
Astaxanthin is the pink-red carotenoid that gives salmon, trout and shrimp their colour. Most of it is used in aquaculture feed rather than added to food directly: farmed salmon are pale without it.
What is Astaxanthin used for in food?
It is listed as a colour — the role the US assigns it. This page shows every function each regulator records, with the citation for each.
Is Astaxanthin banned in Europe?
No. Astaxanthin does not appear on the EU's list of authorised food additives, which is not the same as being banned: the EU permits an additive only where it has authorised it, and usually the reason for an absence is that no one applied. The EU has made no finding against this substance. It does mean it may not be used as a food additive in the EU today.
Where is Astaxanthin permitted?
Of the seven regulators this site reads, the US permits it. Each permission is for named foods at named levels, not a blanket one; the table on this page gives them with citations.
Is Astaxanthin vegan?
It depends on the source, and a label will not tell you. Astaxanthin can be made from plant or animal material, manufacturers are not obliged to say which, and the same product can change between production runs. Anyone who needs to know has to ask the manufacturer.

Sources for this page

  • ecfr retrieved 2026-10-17

Full licence terms and publisher details on Sources. How this page is built and updated: Method.

Machine-readable: a JSON record of this additive is given on request —how to ask for access.

Follow changes to Astaxanthin:Atom feed — regulatory events, and any change the weekly refresh detects in its provisions.