Rapid Analysis of Xanthophyll and Carotene in Dried Plant Materials

Abstract

An alternative method using minimal equipment has been developed for the rapid analysis of xanthophyll and carotene in dried plant materials and mixed feeds. The method includes an ambient temperature stirring technique that may be substituted for hot extraction and saponification, thereby avoiding possible losses due to oxidation and heat isomerization. The method permits rapid analysis of xanthophyll and carotene in pigment sources including alfalfa protein concentrates, corn gluten meal, marigold concentrates, whole corn and mixed feeds containing these ingredients. The results are compared with those obtained by the official AOAC method (43.018-43.023) for xanthophyll and carotene in these ingredients. The alternative method gave the same analyses (P ≤ 0.01) for xanthophyll in alfalfa protein concentrates, marigold, whole corn, corn gluten, and mixed feeds