Antioxidant immune to promote
Permissible color additive for food and drugs (exempt from certification): Fed. Regist. 34, no. 5 (Jan. 8, 1969). Oral suntanning agent.
Canthaxanthin is a synthetic red colorant that is the carotenoid of
most intense red color. it is available in oil-soluble, oil-dispersible,
and water-dispersible forms. it has fair ph, heat, light, and chemical
stability with a low tinctorial strength. unlike the carotenoids beta-
carotene and beta-apo-8-carotenal, it does not possess vitamin a
activity. maximum usage level is 66 ppm. uses include carbonated
soft drinks, salad dressing, and spaghetti sauce.
Canthaxanthin is widely used as a feed additive to improve skin and yolk color in poultry.
ChEBI: A carotenone that consists of beta,beta-carotene bearing two oxo substituents at positions 4 and 4'.
World Health Organization (WHO)
Canthaxanthin, a naturally-occurring carotenoid with a deep redorange
colour, is widely used as a food colouring agent. Since the mid-1970s it has
been included in oral 'artificial suntan' preparations. It is also available in
preparations used in the treatment of certain photodermatoses. By the mid-1980s
its use in such preparations had been associated with the accumulation of
crystalline deposits in the retina. Reported functional changes relating to dark
adaptation have been of marginal clinical significance and largely reversible.
Nevertheless, this has led to the withdrawal of artificial suntan preparations
containing canthaxanthin by several regulatory authorities. Preparations for
treatment of photodermatoses remain available in some but not all of these
countries.
Canthaxanthin (red diketocarotenoid or 4, 4′-diketo-β-carotene), is a common xanthophyll found naturally in microorganisms and marine organisms, as well as in certain animals. It acts as an antioxidant in living organisms. The potential antioxidant activity of canthaxanthin is due to the presence of conjugated double bonds in its structure. It finds applications in various fields including poultry, fishery, cosmetics, medicine, and pharmaceuticals. In food industries, canthaxanthin can be used as a coloring agent.
Oral intake may cause loss of night vision.
When heated to
decomposition it emits acrid smoke and
irritating fumes.
Purify canthaxanthin by chromatography on a column of deactivated alumina or magnesium oxide, or on a thin layer plate of silica gel G (M
Properties and Applications
yellow light pink to red yellow light.
