History and Industrial Application of Carotenoids and Vitamin a (1)

A review is given of the development of the industrial manufacture of carotenoids and vitamin A by isolation and by synthesis. Special emphasis is placed on the use of carotenoids as a preferred class of colouring matters for food and feed. INTRODUCTION A review of the industrial manufacture of carotenoids and vitamin A may be separated into four areas: First the area of isolation and the structural elucidation of the main compounds, which culminated between 1930 and 1950. Then the development of starting materials and the key intermediates for syntheses, which culminated at the same time. In 1946—1956 9 industrial manufacturing procedures for vitamin A were invented. The period of 1954 — 1968 saw the commercial introduction of 5 carotenoids as colouring matters for food and feed. ISOLATION AND STRUCTURAL ELUCIDATION Carotenoids were present in man's food throughout his evolution and are biochemically familiar to our body. The first isolations were described as early as 1817 (paprika) and 1818 (crocin) (2). TABLE 1 SOME CAROTENOIDS ISOLATED AS COLOURING MATTERS CLASS CAROTENOID NATURAL SOURCE FURTHER CAROTENOIDS CAROTENES 8—CAROTENE LYCOPENE CARROTS RED PALM OIL ALFALFA, GRASS MEAL, TOMATO, ROSE HIPS LEAVES a—CAROTENE a& -i-CAROTENE XANTHOPHYLLS (CHLOROPHYLL) CAROTENES XANTHOPHYLLS CRYPTOXANTHIN ZEAXANTHIN LUTEIN CAPSANTHIN ASTAXANTHIN YELLOW MAIZE YELLOW MAIZE ALFALFA, GRASS MEAL, LEAVES PAPRICA RED PEPPER (CAPSICUM ANNUUM) LOBSTER, SHELLS, SALMON ZEAXANTHIN CRYPTOXANTHIN CAROTENES (CHLOROPHYLL) CAPSORUBIN, ZEAXANTHIN ASTACENE (METABOLITE) CAROTENOIC CROCIN, CROCETIN SAFFRON 8—CAROTENE, ZEAXANTHIN ACIDS BIXIN SEEDS OF BIXA ORELLANA BY—PRODUCTS (AN NATO) TORULARHODIN RHODOTORULA RUBRA (YEAST) TORULENE, 8-CAROTENE Table 1 summarizes some carotenoids which have been used already for centuries as colouring matters (3,4). The carotenes are used in food, the xanthophylls and carotenoid acids in food and feed. Carotenes were first extracted from carrots, later its main source was red palm oil (5,6). PAAC 5l/3—B 447