A Two-step Green Process for Extraction of Lutein from Marigold (Tagetes erecta) Flowers

Currently, marigold (Tagetes erecta L.) flower petals serve as a primary source of lutein in the industry. T. erecta is a hardy annual herb grows in different parts of the world, especially in India, Mexico, Spain, and China. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the use of lutein as a dietary supplement for reducing risk of AMD and cataracts among adults above 55 years old. CSIR-CIMAP has developed a green process for the purification of lutein from the flower petals of T. erecta. This process reduces the total number of steps (2 from 3) required from extraction to purification of lutein. The process has been up scaled to 1.0 kg dry petal batch size (obtained from 10 kg fresh flowers). The lutein yield was 1.5-2.0%. The lutein purity was 90-96%. Present process developed with the aim to fulfil the industrial need for preparing food and pharma grade lutein.

• Marigold petals are one of the primary industrial source of lutein.
• An efficient green process to isolate high purity lutein (≥0%) from marigold petals.
• The process does not require recrystallization for further purification of free lutein.
• The process does not use toxic solvents, high temperatures, acid, etc.
• Primary solvents used are commercially available and produced from renewable resources.

• Process is simple and two step.
• Process does not require recrystallization for further purification of free lutein.

Product can be useful for food and pharma applications