The present invention relates to a process for the thermal isomerization of a mixture of all-E-lycopene and its Z isomers of any composition to increase the proportion of all-E, wherein the isomerization takes place in a polar solvent in which lycopene is only slightly soluble.

A method for synthesizing intermediates for use in the synthesis of carotenoid synthetic intermediates, carotenoid analogs, and/or carotenoid derivatives. The carotenoid analog, derivative, or intermediate may be administered to a subject for the inhibition and/or amelioration of any disease that involves production of reactive oxygen species, reactive nitrogen species, radicals and/or non-radicals. In some embodiments, the invention may include methods for synthesizing chemical compounds includ...

.beta.-Carotene products with a high proportion of the 9(Z) isomer are prepared starting from mother liquors from the industrial preparation of .beta.-ionylideneethyltriarylphosphonium salts (C.sub.15 -triarylphosphonium salts) by Wittig reaction of a C.sub.15 -triarylphosphonium salt which has been enriched in the 9Z isomer directly with .beta.-apo-12'-carotenal or else with 2,7-dimethyl-2,4,6-octatrienedial and subsequently with the C.sub.15 -triarylphosphonium salt and subsequent thermal isom...

A powdered water-dispersible carotenoid preparation in the form of discrete carotenoid microparticles is prepared by milling a carotenoid in an aqueous medium in the presence of a hydrocolloid so as to form a suspension, heating the suspension thus formed to a sufficiently high temperature to cause a total or partial melting of the carotenoid and cooling, finely dividing and drying the suspension to form a powder.

There are disclosed a composition containing 9-cis .beta.-carotene in high-purity and an industrially applicable method of obtaining the same from an alga. The composition can be obtained through steps of washing with ethanol dry powder of the alga belonging to Dunaliella, adding hexane to the washed algal powder, stirring the same, subjecting the same to filtration to obtain a filtrate, concentrating the filtrate to obtain a semi-solidic concentrate, adding hexane to the semi-solidic concentrat...

A process for preparing .beta.-carotene, represented by Formula 3 ##STR1## staring from a sulfone compound of Formula B ##STR2##

Chromoplasts and/or chloroplasts are isolated from plant material. This wet mass is digested in aqueous medium with pectin- and/or protein-cleaving enzymes, insoluble substances are removed, and a carotinoid-rich sediment is obtained after acidifying the separated colloid disperse system. The sediment is heated at alkaline pH with aqueous ethanol or isopropyl alcohol to remove the major part of cleaved proteins, lipides and other accompanying substances. The sediment with enriched carotenoid con...

A carotenoid composition derived from a natural source wherein at least 50% by weight of the carotenoid content of the composition is cis beta-carotene and preferably 9 cis beta-carotene. Typically, the beta-carotene content of the composition is predominantly 9 cis beta-carotene.

A novel process for the manufacture of .beta.-keto alcohols from aldehydes comprising reacting a conjugated polyene aldehyde under basic conditions with a cyclocarbonate or derivative thereof. Certain carotenoid products of this process are novel compounds and are also an object of the present invention. The products, which for the most part belong to the carotenoid field, find corresponding use, for example, as colorants or pigments for foodstuffs, egg yolk, integuments and/or subcutaneous fat ...

A carotenoid-enriched fraction is extracted from natural sources, such as carrots, by (i) separating the carotenoid-containing natural source into a carotenoid-containing liquid fraction and a pulp fraction, (ii) adding a carotenoid precipitation agent including calcium chloride, calcium hydroxide, calcium lactate or calcium gluconate to the liquid fraction to form a carotenoid-enriched solid precipitate, and (iii) separating the carotenoid-enriched solid precipitate from the carotenoid-depleted...