High-yield dimethyl ether-based recovery of astaxanthin and fatty acids directly from wet Haematococcus pluvialis

•Green processes involving l-DME and DMSO were developed for microalgal biorefinery.•Drying and cell-wall-disruption steps of wet H. pluvialis were not employed.•Complete recovery of astaxanthin and fatty acids from the wet cysts was achieved.•The dry extract exhibited strong antioxidative activities.