Could astaxanthin score a goal in sports nutrition?
Astavita is a taking astaxanthin into sports nutrition thanks to a patent it has for muscle endurance and recovery, thereby expanding the potential uses for the compound which has been primarily used for eye, skin and immune disorder applications. While branded Astareal will be a finished product, Astavita said any company that purchases this branded astaxanthin from its parent company – Japanese-based Fuji Chemical Industry Company – can obtain a license for use of its patent. The astaxanthin market is carved up among those who hold usage patents, with Fuji holding the most; it now has five, while Fuji competitors Cyanotech and Valensa have three and one respectively. New Jersey-based ingredients manufacturer Astavita this week signalled its intentions to further push AstaReal, for sports applications when it announced the signing of a two-year sponsorship agreement with USA Triathlon (USAT), the national governing body for triathlon and duathlon. Fuji obtained the patent for astaxant
