With modern people's growing concern for their appearance and health, the demand for the beauty products market is expanding rapidly. Under this trend, astaxanthin is gradually gaining popularity among consumers as a natural ingredient with multiple benefits such as anti-aging , whitening, sun protection, repair, moisturising, and anti-inflammatory properties. Astaxanthin not only plays an important role in skin care products, but is also widely used in the field of nutraceuticals due to its remarkable biological activity. However, the extraction process of astaxanthin faces many challenges, which are mainly reflected in the high cost of natural extraction, the limited production from natural sources, and the shortcomings of chemical synthesis methods.

In order to solve these problems, we carried out intensive literature research, questionnaire surveys, and technical exchanges, and finally conceived a new astaxanthin extraction route — astaxanthin from longan. Longan (Dimocarpus longan Lour.) has been the focus of our research due to its rich nutritional value and wide market demand. We plan to introduce the CrBKT gene from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and the HpBHY gene from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, in order to increase the production of astaxanthin from Dimocarpus longan through genetic engineering, and thus provide a more stable and economical source of astaxanthin for the beauty industry.

Through our research with the general public, we found that there is a growing consumer demand for astaxanthin beauty products, especially among young women, who are more inclined to natural ingredients and products with multiple effects in their skincare choices. This trend further fueled our research and convinced us that developing Longan astaxanthin has great potential and can meet the needs of the market.

Our ultimate goal is to extract high-purity astaxanthin from longan leaves and apply it in beauty products. This will not only promote the efficient use of longan resources, but also provide employment opportunities for farmers and promote local economic development. At the same time, by introducing genetic engineering technology, we hope to realise large-scale production of astaxanthin and reduce production costs, enabling consumers to enjoy a quality skincare experience at a more affordable price.

In addition, as environmental awareness grows, the use of natural extracts from plant sources has become a major trend in the beauty industry. The longan astaxanthin extraction project we have developed is in line with this trend and can effectively reduce the impact on the environment and promote sustainable development. Therefore, combining technological innovation with market demand, we believe that this project will not only bring economic benefits, but will also play an important role in improving the quality of life of consumers.

In order to ensure the safety of our projects, we follow strict laboratory and site safety protocols during the project. Before conducting experiments, a detailed risk assessment is carried out to identify possible hazards and formulate countermeasures. At the same time, we regularly check and maintain our experimental equipment to ensure that it is functioning properly and to avoid potential safety hazards caused by equipment failure. We also aim to ensure the safety of our products for future applications. (see Safety for more details)

The extraction and purification process of astaxanthin is complex, and we are currently in the development and experimental stage of astaxanthin products, which have not yet been clearly demonstrated to be effective in increasing astaxanthin content. This is one of our most important current technical challenges. Although we are actively conducting a number of experiments to explore the extraction process and stability of astaxanthin, specific methods to increase astaxanthin content are still being experimented with, which also exposes the product development process to uncertainty.

In addition, we are continually optimising the design of our experiments to ensure that we can find a breakthrough to increase astaxanthin content while maintaining the safety and efficiency of the product. This process requires additional time and resources to ensure that the final product is competitive in the marketplace.