Marigolds are the predominant commercial source of lutein, a carotenoid widely used in foods, beverages, animal feed, and dietary supplements. Lutein and related macular pigments can help protect the retina against oxidative damage and have been associated with a reduced risk of age-related macular degeneration. In marigold petals, however, lutein occurs mainly as esters formed with different fatty acids, creating a chemically complex mixture. Conventional analysis generally requires saponification to convert these esters into free lutein before measurement. This procedure requires heating, takes considerable time, and may degrade heat-sensitive carotenoids. Direct chromatographic quantification is also constrained by the limited availability and high cost of individual lutein ester standards. These limitations create a need for a rapid, selective, and comprehensive analytical method.
A study (DOI: 10.48130/els-0026-0010) published in Engineering in Life Sciences on 24 August 2026 by Axin Liang's team, Beijing Institute of Technology, reports a sensing-conversion platform that estimates four predominant lutein esters through the direct measurement of lutein dipalmitate.
The researc...