Astaxanthin

CAS 472-61-7

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
United StatesFood and Drug AdministrationPermitted21 CFR 73.35retrieved 2026-09-07
Codex AlimentariusCodex Alimentarius Commission / JECFANot listedDoes not appear on this jurisdiction’s permitted list. That is not the same as being prohibited.

What it is made from

Produced by chemical synthesis, by fermentation with the yeast Phaffia rhodozyma, or extracted from the alga Haematococcus pluvialis. Codex and the FDA list these routes 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.

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 by hand rather than machine-read, and none has been written for this substance yet.

Sources for this page

  • ecfr retrieved 2026-09-07

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

Machine-readable:/api/v1/additives/astaxanthin.json