Extraction of astaxanthin from fermented Acetes using virgin coconut oil with the glass beads vortex method

Astaxanthin is an antioxidant that can be extracted from crustaceans such as shrimp, lobster, crawfish, and crabs. Fermented Acetes shrimp (called cincalok) is a traditional side dish from Indonesia rich in astaxanthin. This study extracted astaxanthin from cincalok using the glass beads vortex method with virgin coconut oil (VCO) as a green solvent. Several parameters that affect the amount of astaxanthin extracted, such as the ratio between sample and solvent, contact time, and particle size of glass beads, have been tested. The physicochemical characteristics of VCO before and after extraction were also analyzed. The UV-Vis spectrophotometer analysis results showed that the optimum ratio between sample and solvent was 1:10 g/mL, the optimum contact time was 15 minutes, and the optimum particle size of the glass beads was 60–80 mesh. Under these optimum conditions, the amount of astaxanthin extracted was 27.97 μg/g dry weight of cincalok or 2.79 μg/mL VCO. After extraction, the viscosity and density of VCO still meet the Indonesian National Standard with values of 17.98 mm2/s and 917.2 kg/m3, respectively. Before and after extraction, the GC-MS chromatogram shows the main component of fatty acids in VCO is lauric acid, with a percentage of 27.28 and 26.72%, respectively. VCO can also extract omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA from cincalok with the same rate of 0.04%.