Short and Breif Analysis of the Lutein

Lutein is highly safe, non-toxic and harmless, and with its special physiological effects, it is in line with the development direction of Food Additives' "natural", "nutrition" and "multifunctional", and can be used with common food additives such as vitamins and Lysine.  Lutein is an important natural pigment and natural health product, and it is a raw material of green health food.

Although lutein can also be found in egg yolk and animal fat, animals cannot make it on their own and must consume it from food, so the yellow color of the macula of the eye and egg yolk both come from lutein in food.

Lutein is an antioxidant and can absorb short wavelength light (such as blue light, which is harmful to the eyes) because it has a polyene chain in its structure, a long-chain chromophore with conjugated double bonds, which provides unique light-absorbing properties; this polyene chain is easily degraded by light or thermal oxidation and is unstable in acidic environments.

Chromophore Uses

Both lutein and zeaxanthin are used as natural pigments because of their orange-red color. Because lutein absorbs blue light, it is yellow at low concentrations and orange at high concentrations.

Lutein has traditionally been used to feed chickens to give their skin a yellow color. Lutein also gives egg yolks a deeper yellow color. Lutein is unstable and is not used as a food coloring agent in the presence of other coloring agents.

Application Market

The market for lutein can be divided into medicinal, health food, general food, pet food and animal and fish feed. The pharmaceutical market is estimated to be worth US$190 million per year.

The health food and general food products are estimated to be worth US$110 million per year, but the actual efficacy will vary from product to product as the contents vary greatly. Pet food and other products are estimated to be worth $175 million per year. In addition to the usual applications in age-related macular degeneration, newer applications are now in the areas of makeup, cosmetology, and as Antioxidants.