E161 Xanthophylls

E161 XANTOFILLE

The xanthophyll group represents a set of natural substances that belong, from a chemical point of view, to the carotenoid family. In fact they have the fundamental chemical structure of the carotene, but unlike the latter they contain oxygen atoms.

The xanthophylls have an undefined color, which varies from yellow to red.

These compounds are very common both in the animal kingdom and in the vegetable one.

Xanthophylls are used as dyes and have been shown to be harmless to human health. In fact, they are widely used in the food industry for bakery and pastry products, for ice cream, puddings, desserts, sauces, mayonnaise, candied fruit, drinks, dietary products, snacks, etc., but also in cosmetics.

The progenitor of this family is the lutein indicated with the initials E161b.

The most important xanthophylls are, in addition to Lutein, Cryptoxanthin (E161c), Zeaxanthin (contained in Mais), Rubixanthin (E161d), Violaxantina (E161e), Rodoxanthin (E161f) and Canthaxanthin (E161g).

They are found in the green leaves of all plants, in corn, in alfalfa and also in animals (crustaceans and birds).

Xanthophylls are generally liposoluble, as are most carotenoids, but are less subject to the oxidative process than the latter. Furthermore, xanthophylls - although not, like carotene, precursors of Vitamin A - are very important as they intervene in different biochemical processes by counteracting oxidative processes.

The Italian food law (DM February 27, 1996 No. 209) lists the xanthophylls under the acronym of E 161.