Cyanotech Corporation has been commercially producing microalgal products for over 21 years. During this time we have developed advanced technology which, combined with our location on the pristine Kona Coast of the Big Island of Hawaii, allows us to produce unialgal, contamination-free products.
Our most advanced technology is used for the production of BioAstin Natural Astaxanthin products from Haematococcus microalgae. The initial production of Haematococcus takes place in closed culture systems, some as large as 40,000 liters. This is followed by a short, 5 to 7 day, "reddening" cycle conducted in 500,000 liter open culture ponds. At each stage of BioAstin production, Haematococcus cultures are closely monitored by microscopic examination to ensure the cultures are pure and free from contaminating organisms. After the reddening cycle, Haematococcus cultures are harvested, washed and dried. The final step for the production of BioAstin is extraction of dried Haematococcus biomass using supercritical carbon dioxide to produce a purified oleoresin, absolutely free of any biological or environmental contamination. This supercritical extraction process is a critical step ensuring the proper potency, purity and quality of BioAstin Natural Astaxanthin.
There is a general misconception that closed culture production of microalgal products eliminates contamination from unwanted organisms. This is not true. Closed culture systems can and are contaminated by unwanted algae, fungi, and protozoa. When this does occur, elimination of the biological contamination in closed culture systems can be very difficult because of the high surface area and many "nooks and crannies" in such systems. Indeed, persistent contamination of closed culture systems has lead to serious problems for microalgae companies in California, Hawaii (not Cyanotech), and Europe. Cyanotech's closed culture systems, as well as its open pond systems, have been designed based on many years of experience to minimize problems and to ensure production of contamination-free microalgal products.
Cyanotech's natural astaxanthin production is registered as an ISO 9001-2000 Quality Management System, and holds a Food Establishment Permit from the State of Hawaii Department of Health for manufacturing and processing. We are also c-GMP and operate under US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines. Each lot of BioAstin Nautural Astaxanthin goes through rigorous quality control to ensure the highest quality and purity. In addition to unsurpassed quality and purity, our many years of experience and proprietary technology allow us to produce far greater quantities of Natural Astaxanthin than our competitors, and we maintain a market share at over 95% of the animal nutrition market for algae-based Astaxanthin products.
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