Which foods contain astaxanthin, and how much?

Astaxanthin in food comes from seafood: salmon, trout, shrimp, crab, lobster, krill and fish roe. The amounts vary widely. A 2014 review reports about 2.6 to 3.8 mg per 100 g of flesh in wild sockeye salmon and 0.6 to 0.8 mg per 100 g in farmed Atlantic salmon. Shrimp and crab also carry astaxanthin in the shell, the head and the orange shrimp fat, parts that are often discarded. In the studies used here, cooking and sun drying lowered the amount in shrimp and canned salmon had less, while cooking did not change the main form in salmon.

In short:

• Where it is found: salmon, trout, shrimp, crab, lobster, krill and fish roe
• Highest reported in flesh: wild sockeye salmon, 2.6–3.8 mg per 100 g
• Farmed salmon: 0.6–0.8 mg per 100 g; the amount depends on the feed
• Shrimp and crab: found in the shell, head and hepatopancreas (the orange "shrimp fat")
• Cooking: frying, boiling or microwaving shrimp lowered it by about 8–52% in one study; sun drying lowers it more

This article covers how much astaxanthin is in each food and how cooking changes it. For what astaxanthin is and where it comes from in nature, see What is astaxanthin, and where does it come from?

Which foods contain astaxanthin?

Astaxanthin is a red pigment made by microalgae, some yeasts and bacteria. Animals cannot make it, so the seafood that contains it takes it in through the food chain.

Seafood is the everyday source

A 2014 review by Ambati and colleagues at the University of Malaya in Malaysia lists salmon, trout, krill, shrimp and crayfish as natural sources, and names shrimp, crab and salmon as dietary sources.

Amounts reported per 100 g

The per-100 g column converts the reported unit only (mg per kg divided by ten; µg per g multiplied by 100 and shown in mg). Each figure comes from particular fish and markets, so a fillet bought in Thailand may contain more or less.

Fish roe

A 2005 study from the University of Windsor in Canada measured carotenoids in eggs from farmed Chinook salmon and found 4.12 µg of astaxanthin per g of egg, along with small amounts of lutein (0.12 µg per g) and canthaxanthin (0.45 µg per g). It measured eggs from farmed fish only, so it shows the order of size rather than a typical value for all roe.

Does wild salmon contain more astaxanthin than farmed salmon?

In the studies used here, it does, but farmed salmon still contain astaxanthin because it is added to their feed.

Figures from the Ambati review

The Ambati review reports about 2.6 to 3.8 mg per 100 g of flesh in wild sockeye salmon and 0.6 to 0.8 mg per 100 g in farmed Atlantic salmon, while chum salmon, also a wild species, contains little. The figures depend on the species and, for farmed fish, on the feed.

The form also differs

A 2025 study by several US universities measured the different forms of astaxanthin in salmon and found higher levels of the (3S,3'S) form in wild than in farmed salmon. A 2021 review by Stachowiak and Szulc at Poznań University of Life Sciences in Poland notes that because farmed animals are fed synthetic astaxanthin, their origin can be determined by analysing the make-up of the pigment. The difference in forms is explained in How are natural and synthetic astaxanthin made?

Where is the astaxanthin in shrimp and crab?

Studies have measured it in parts many people do not eat: the shell, the head and the hepatopancreas, the orange organ in the head that Thai cooks call "man kung" (shrimp fat).

Shells hold a lot of it

A 2024 study from Memorial University of Newfoundland in Canada analysed the shells left over from processing northern shrimp and snow crab. Most of the carotenoids were astaxanthin and its esters (astaxanthin bound to fatty acids), with smaller amounts of zeaxanthin, lutein, canthaxanthin and astacene.

These are figures per gram of shell, so they cannot be compared directly with the salmon figures, which are per 100 g of flesh. The study did not measure the meat. The same study notes that northern shrimp processing produces up to 50% by-products, such as heads, shells and tails.

The head and shrimp fat, from Thai shrimp

A 2021 study from Prince of Songkla University in Hat Yai extracted oil from the head (cephalothorax) and from the hepatopancreas of Pacific white shrimp supplied by processors in Songkhla and Chumphon. The oil from the hepatopancreas contained more astaxanthin than the oil from the head. The researchers note that the head, shell, tail and internal organs are produced as by-products and discarded during processing.

Why shrimp turn red when cooked

The Stachowiak review explains that in the shells of lobster, shrimp and other crustaceans, astaxanthin is held in a blue complex with a protein called crustacyanin. Heat changes the protein and releases the astaxanthin, and the typical pink-red colour appears.

Does cooking change the amount of astaxanthin?

Yes. Most studies found losses with heat, light and long storage, although the size of the loss depends on the method.

Salmon

The 2025 US study found that cooking did not change the level of the main all-trans (3S,3'S) form in salmon, but that it was lower in processed products such as canned salmon. The study measured this one form, so it does not show what happened to the other forms.

Shrimp

A 2015 study from Ocean University of China cooked Pacific white shrimp by microwaving, boiling and frying. Total astaxanthin loss ranged from about 8% to 52% in the first 3 minutes. Astaxanthin bound to fatty acids broke down to the free form, and diesters (bound to two fatty acids) held up better than monoesters (bound to one).

Dried shrimp

A 2014 study from Mexico followed dried salted shrimp, which are cooked and then dried in direct sunlight. About 75% of the astaxanthin in the cooked shrimp was lost during sun drying, and the loss reached 83% after 90 days of storage. The Stachowiak review adds that long heating, even at low temperature, splits the esters into free astaxanthin, and that the ester form is more resistant to heat and light than the free form.

In cooking oil

The Ambati review cites a study in which astaxanthin stayed at 84 to 90% of its starting amount at 70 to 90 °C in rice bran, sesame (gingelly) and palm oils, but decreased at 120 and 150 °C.

Which forms of astaxanthin are in different seafood?

Astaxanthin comes in slightly different shapes of the same molecule (stereoisomers), and it can be free or bound to fatty acids. Seafood differs in both.

Shapes of the molecule in seafood

The Stachowiak review gathers the following shares of each shape.

Free or bound to fatty acids

Ambati and colleagues report that astaxanthin in wild Atlantic salmon is in the free form, while in Antarctic krill it is mainly esterified. The Canadian shell study found mostly diesters in shrimp shell. Cooking can shift esters towards the free form, as the shrimp study above found.

Is there a daily amount for astaxanthin?

Astaxanthin is not a nutrient with a Thai Reference Daily Intake (Thai RDI), so there is no recommended daily amount in Thailand.

EFSA's acceptable daily intake

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has set an acceptable daily intake (ADI) of 0.2 mg per kg of body weight per day, counting all sources together: fish, shellfish and supplements. Because the ADI is per kilogram of body weight, children reach it at a smaller amount than adults. The background to this figure is explained in What is astaxanthin, and where does it come from?

Which Thai dishes include seafood with astaxanthin?

In Thai cooking, the pink and red seafood carries astaxanthin: salmon (often eaten raw as sashimi or grilled), grilled river prawns, tom yum goong, stir-fried crab, dried shrimp and fish roe. The sources used here do not give figures for these dishes, so their amounts are not listed. For how astaxanthin compares with other coloured pigments in vegetables, such as beta-carotene and lutein, see How do astaxanthin, beta-carotene and lutein differ?

Who should be careful with these foods?

Seafood allergies

The US FDA lists fish and crustacean shellfish among the major food allergens. People with a fish, shrimp or crab allergy should talk to a doctor.

Pregnancy and regular medication

If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, or take a regular medicine, talk to a doctor or pharmacist before taking dietary supplements.

Dietary supplements are not intended to prevent, treat or cure any disease.