Development of an effective extraction process for coenzyme Q10 from Artemia

A method for extracting coenzyme Q₁₀ (CoQ₁₀) from Artemia was developed. 1 g of fresh Artemia was incubated with 75 % acetic acid at (30 ± 2)°C for 24 h, followed by three consecutive extractions with a mixture of 5 mL of hexane and 5 mL of ethanol, then analysis by a validated high-performance liquid chromatography with a diode-array detector. The calibration curve for CoQ₁₀ was linear in a range of 1–50 μg mL^?1. The limits of detection and quantification were 0.3 μg mL^?1 and 1.1 μg mL^?1, respectively. Mean recoveries were 94–100 % with a high precision of below 10 %. The method developed was found to be simple, efficient and the time required for releasing CoQ₁₀ from Artemia was short. The method provides not only low energy consumption but is also practical for industrial applications.