Enzyme-Assisted Oil Extraction of Lutein from Marigold ( erecta) Flowers and Stability of Lutein

Marigold (Tagetes erecta) flowers are a rich source of organic solvents. In this study, lutein was extracted from marigold flowers with enzyme extraction without using organic solvents. Extraction produced oil that contained 0.36 mg/ml lutein (present as lutein esters but calculated as free lutein), and the yield was comparable to solvent extraction. The oil containing lutein was used to produce oil mixtures as stabilizers and some emulsions were also s containing lutein were stored in the dark at 20 monitored during storage. Stability of lutein was good in oil (85 emulsions (77–91%) but slightly worse in spray extraction of lutein from marigold flowers is a potential alternative to solvent extraction with comparable efficiency. In addition, there are no solvent residues in showed good stability of lutein in oil or in emulsions stored in the dark at room temperature, and these preparations could be used in different food products.