Research Note: Preparation of Purified Lutein and Its Diesters from Extracts of Marigold (Tagetes erecta)

The unavailability of low-priced lutein, the major carotenoid in typical poultry diets and tissues, in purity good enough for analytical standards has hindered research on carotenoids and the production of efficiently pigmented chickens by the poultry industry. Simple extraction and crystallization procedures were developed that gave lutein of 96.0 to 99.2% purity in 57 to 68% yield depending on the batch of commercially available saponified extracts of marigold (Tagetes erecta) petals, which were the source of impure lutein. Reaction of the purified (99.2%) lutein with fatty acyl chlorides gave the diesters of lutein in >99% purity and yield as judged by HPLC. The purity of the products was equal or superior to commercial standards, which are very expensive and not always available.