Abstract: Astaxanthin has many excellent physiological functions such as anti-oxidation, immunity enhancement, cancer prevention and anti-inflammation. However, astaxanthin has poor chemical stability and water solubility, which affect the application of astaxanthin in food and medicine. Therefore, astaxanthin can be loaded in different delivery systems to broaden its application range, such as emulsion, microcapsules, nanoparticles, and liposomes, which can effectively improve the bioavailability of astaxanthin. This paper briefly outlines the physiological functions of astaxanthin, and discusses the optimization methods of astaxanthin delivery systems by summarizing the relevant domestic and international studies in recent years, in order to provide theoretical references for the development of astaxanthin delivery systems in food industry.