Author : Pierfrancesco Morganti, D. Sousa Martins, G. Morganti

The xanthophylls, lutein and carotenoids/zeaxanthin, belong to the family of carotenoids. Two are, in fact, the commonly accepted classes of these natural compounds (a) carotenes, composed of only carbon and hydrogen and (b) xanthophylls, composed of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen.

All the carotenoids have the identical backbone structure and their chemical and biochemical activities are related to their unique structure extended system of conjugated double bonds.

Xanthophylls are fat-soluble pigments found profusely in dark green vegetables such as spinach, cabbage, broccoli, as well as in colourful vegetables and fruits such as corn, oranges, peaches, mangoes and tangerines, and in egg yolk.