Process for the preparation of alpha- and beta-cryptoxanthin

摘要

The present invention relates to a process for converting lutein and/or lutein esters to beta-cryptoxanthin and alpha-cryptoxanthin, suitable for human consumption as dietary supplements, by employing safe and environmentally friendly reagents. In the first synthetic step, commercially available lutein and/or lutein esters are transformed into a mixture of dehydration products of lutein (anhydroluteins) in the presence of a catalytic amount of an acid. The resulting anhydroluteins are then converted to beta-cryptoxanthin (major product) and alpha-cryptoxanthin (minor product) by heterogeneous catalytic hydrogenation employing transition elements of group VIII in a variety of organic solvents under atmospheric pressure of hydrogen. A novel feature of this invention is the regioselective hydrogenation of anhydroluteins while the highly conjugated polyene chain of these carotenoids remains intact.