The Carotenoids of Crab Paralithodes brevipes (Hanasakigani in Japanese)*1,2

Abstract

The carotenoids in the carapace, flesh and gonad of Paralithodes brevipes were investigated from the stereochemical point of view. The absolute configuration of papilioerythrinone (= 3-hydroxy-β, ε -carotene-4,3’-dione) isolated from the crab was determined to be (3S,6‘R)-configuration. In the carapace and flesh, three stereoisomers of astaxanthin (33-39%) and (3S, 3’S)-7,8-didehydro-astaxanthin (27-32%) were identified as major components accompanied by (3S,3‘S)-7, 8,7‘,8’-tetradehydro-astaxanthin (6-7%), fritschiellaxanthin (4-10%) and papilioerythrinone (2-6%) etc., while in the gonadβ,β -carotene (64%) was found to be dominant along with three stereoisomers of astaxanthin (11 %), echinenone (7%) and isocryptoxanthin (3%) etc. From the experimental results obtained, we proposed the plausible oxidative metabolic pathway of lutein A to papilioerythrinone via fritschiellaxanthin in P. brevipes. © 1988, The Japanese Society of Fisheries Science. All rights reserved.