Xanthophyll composition containing macular pigments and a process for its preparation

1. A xanthophyll composition consisting of an extract of marigold that includes a mixture of converted xanthophylls and obtained from (1) and (2) below, wherein the mixture of converted xanthophylls includes trans-lutein obtained from (1) and (2) below and zeaxanthin isomers obtained from (1) and (2) below, wherein the zeaxanthin isomers obtained from (1) and (2) below consists of (R,R)-zeaxanthin obtained from (1) and (2) below and lutein that has been chemically converted by (1) and (2) below through saponification and isomerization:

(1) admixing marigold oleoresin obtained by hexane extraction and containing xanthophyll esters with an alkaline solution of 1-propanol, wherein the ratio of alkali and 1-propanol is in the range of 1:0.5 to 1:1 by weight/volume; and

(2) heating the resultant mass at a temperature in the range 70-100 degree C. for a period in the range of 1 to 5 hrs;

wherein the lutein that has been chemically converted by (1) and (2) through saponification and isomerization is not found naturally in marigold;

wherein (1) and (2) result in the mixture of converted xanthophylls;

wherein the xanthophyll composition is safe for human consumption and useful for nutrition and health care, the xanthophyll composition comprising: at least 80% by weight total xanthophylls obtained from (1) and (2), of which at least 80% by weight is trans-lutein obtained from (1) and (2), where the ratio of trans-lutein obtained from (1) and (2) to zeaxanthin isomers obtained from (1) and (2) is in the range of about 4:1 to about 6:1, and the ratio of (R,R)-zeaxanthin obtained from (1) and (2) to the lutein that has been chemically converted by (1) and (2) through saponification and isomerization is in the range of 80:20 to 20:80.

2. The xanthophyll composition as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the composition contains at least 85% by weight of total xanthophylls, of which the trans-lutein content is at least 85%.

3. The xanthophyll composition as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the composition contains at least 85% by weight of total xanthophylls, of which at least 80% by weight being trans-lutein, at least 6% by weight being (R,R)-zeaxanthin and at least 6% by weight being the lutein that has been chemically converted by (1) and (2) through saponification and isomerization.

4. The xanthophyll composition as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the composition contains at least 85% by weight trans-lutein and at least 4% by weight (R,R)-zeaxanthin and at least 5% by weight of the lutein that has been chemically converted by (1) and (2) through saponification and isomerization.

5. The xanthophyll composition as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the composition containing at least 85% by weight of total xanthophylls, of which at least 80% by weight being trans-lutein, the remaining 15% by weight being zeaxanthin isomers, including (R,R)-zeaxanthin and the lutein that has been chemically converted by (1) and (2) through saponification and isomerization.

6. A process for the preparation of a xanthophyll composition containing macular pigments of trans-lutein, zeaxanthin isomers, including (R,R)-zeaxanthin and (R,S)- zeaxanthin, derived from the plant extract/oleoresin containing xanthophylls/xanthophylls esters which is safe for human consumption and useful for nutrition and health care which comprises:

(a) saponifying and partially isomerising simultaneously xanthophyll esters present in a plant extract/oleoresin containing xanthophyll esters by admixing the extract/oleoresin with alkaline solution of 1-propanol, the ratio of alkali and 1-propanol being in the range of 1:0.5 to 1:1 by weight/volume, heating the resultant mass at a temperature in the range 70-100 degree C. for a period in the range of 1 to 5 hrs to obtain a saponified/isomerised crude concentrate;

(b) admixing the resultant saponified/isomerised crude concentrate obtained in step (a) with water, the ratio of the concentrate and water used being in the range from 1:2 to 1:3 volume/volume, to form a diluted oily mixture;

(c) extracting the diluted oily mixture obtained in step (b) with ethyl acetate, the ratio of diluted oily mixture and ethyl acetate used being in the range of 1:1.5 to 1:2 volume/volume to get an extract containing the xanthophyll composition;

(d) evaporating the composition obtained in step (c) to remove ethyl acetate;

(e) purifying the composition resulting from step (d) by washing first with a non-polar solvent and later with a polar solvent and filtering; and

drying the resulting composition under vacuum at a temperature in the range of 40 to 45 degree C. for a period ranging from 48-72 hours.

7. The process as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the plant extract/oleoresin containing xanthophyll esters used is derived from marigold flowers.

8. The process as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the non-polar solvent used in step (e) is selected from pentane, hexane, and heptane, and the polar solvent used is selected from a lower aliphatic alcohol.

9. The process as claimed in claim 6 , further comprising recovering the ethyl acetate used in step (c) for reuse.

10. The process as claimed in claim 6 , further comprising storing the resulting composition in an inert atmosphere at 20 degree C.

11. The process as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the plant extract/oleoresin containing xanthophyll esters is marigold, where the marigold is the single source of material providing the plant extract/oleoresin containing xanthophyll esters.

12. The process as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the non-polar and polar solvents are selected from generally recognized as safe (GRAS) reagents, which are safe for human consumption and suitable for nutrition and health care.