Isolation and Identification of the Carotenoid Capsolutein from Capsicum annuum as Cucurbitaxanthin A

• Published in: Journal of agricultural and food chemistry Vol. 46; no. 10; pp. 4087 - 4090
• Main Authors: Hornero-Méndez, D, Mínguez-Mosquera, M. I
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Chemical Society 01.10.1998
• Subjects: Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; ANALYTICAL METHODS; BIOCHEMICAL PATHWAYS; Biological and medical sciences; CAPSICUM ANNUUM; CAROTENOIDE; CAROTENOIDES; CAROTENOIDS; CHEMICAL COMPOSITION; CHEMICAL STRUCTURE; COMPOSICION QUIMICA; COMPOSITION CHIMIQUE; Economic plant physiology; ESTRUCTURA QUIMICA; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; IDENTIFICACION; IDENTIFICATION; Metabolism; Nutrition. Photosynthesis. Respiration. Metabolism; Plant physiology and development; Reserves and secretions. Pigments. Phytochromes; Storage and secretion, pigments, phytochrome; STRUCTURE CHIMIQUE; TECHNIQUE ANALYTIQUE; TECNICAS ANALITICAS; VIA BIOQUIMICA DEL METABOLISMO; VOIE BIOCHIMIQUE DU METABOLISME; Fruit; Molecular structure; Dicotyledones; Angiospermae; Pigments; Capsicum annuum; Isolation; Flavoring crop; Spermatophyta; Solanaceae; Carotenoid; Structural analysis
• ISSN: 0021-8561; 1520-5118
• DOI: 10.1021/jf980401m

Capsolutein, a carotenoid pigment mentioned to be present in Capsicum annuum but with an unknown structure, has been isolated. On the basis of spectroscopic (UV−visible, IR, and MS) and chromatographic (TLC and HPLC) behavior, as well as chemical derivatization, it has been identified to be identical with cucurbitaxanthin A (3‘,6‘-epoxy-5‘,6‘-dihydro-β,β-carotene-3,5‘-diol), a peculiar carotenoid containing an 3,6-oxabicycloheptane end group. Hereafter the name cucurbitaxanthin A will be adopted for referring to capsolutein. Keywords: Capsicum annuum; red pepper; carotenoid; capsolutein; cucurbitaxanthin A