Lutein

Chemical Formula	C40H56O2
Molecular Weight	568.886 g/mol
Names and Identifiers	PubChem Link
Traditional Name	Lutein
CAS Registry Number	127-40-2

 

Lutein (from Latin luteus meaning "yellow") is a xanthophyll and one of 600 known naturally occurring carotenoids. Lutein is synthesized only by plants and like other xanthophylls is found in high quantities in green leafy vegetables such as spinach, kale and yellow carrots. In green plants, xanthophylls act to modulate light energy and serve as non-photochemical quenching agents to deal with triplet chlorophyll (an excited form of chlorophyll), which is overproduced at very high light levels, during photosynthesis.

 

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