Carotenoid extraction from algae is currently under intensive research due to the increased demand for naturally occurring compounds, which are especially rich in biologically active isomers. Furthermore, natural carotenoids exhibit greater stability than synthetic ones. Conventional liquid extraction suffers from several drawbacks, such as use of high amounts of solvent, and several extraction steps. In this work carotenoid extraction from algae using different methods, such as microwave and ultrasound assisted extraction as well as pressurized liquid extraction and extraction with supercritical CO2 and ethane, is summarized together with modelling of extraction kinetics. In addition carotenoid availability, algae pretreatment, stability of extracts, their antioxidative and antimicrobial activities as well as downstream processing and storage of algae extracts have been reviewed. As a conclusion it can be stated that carotenoid extraction is complex, demanding optimization of the carotenoid yield and antioxidative stability, which are often inversely proportional. (C) 2014 Society of Chemical Industry