Burlington, NJ, July 16, 2013 - AstaReal Co., Ltd ‐ a biotech company within Fuji Chemical
Group, exclusively dedicated to the production, research and marketing of natural
astaxanthin – is set to build a new manufacturing facility in Moses Lake ‐ a city in
Washington State famous for its natural fresh water lakes and fertile ecosystem. The
investment in a US plant is following the recently finalized expansion of AstaReal´s plant in
Sweden.
The decision to expand capacity is in response to the increased demand of AstaREAL,
natural astaxanthin, worldwide. The current global market size of natural astaxanthin for
the human market is estimated to be about US $200M and set to reach US $700M by 2017.
“We see the 21st century as the era of anti-aging. We believe that preventive medicine will play
an even greater role in future healthcare as advances in anti-aging and lifestyle disease research
drive improvements both in the treatment and prevention of disease and illness. To that end, we
have succeeded in realizing the world's first industrial production of natural astaxanthin which is
both safe and high in anti-oxidative potency. We have since devoted greater efforts than any
other research organization to advancing astaxanthin research. Astaxanthin is an effective antiinflammatory
agent for both human and animal application. We want to help people achieve
healthier and happier lives by delivering astaxanthin to the market place across the world,” said
Mitsunori Nishida, President and CEO of Fuji Chemical Industry.
The new cutting‐edge facility will utilize environment friendly and ultra‐pure bioreactor
cultivation technology for the fresh water microalga Haematococcus pluvialis, which has
been developed and upgraded within AstaReal since 1994. AstaReal product from the new
facility is expected to hit the global market in the summer of 2014. The new production
plant will more than double AstaReal’s existing production of natural astaxanthin by 2015.
This strategic investment will dramatically boost AstaReal product innovation and supply
capability.
The continual expansion of AstaReal represents strong confidence in the future growth of
the market while clinical trial and scientific research has driven both sales and expanded
the application of astaxanthin for human health. With increasing media attention,
astaxanthin is set to become a household name in the nutraceutical, pharmaceutical and
cosmetics marketplace.