Lutein (pronounced /?lu?ti??n/, /?lu?ti?n/, /?lu?t??n/ [ 1 ] ; from Latin luteus meaning "yellow") is one of over 600 known naturally occurring carotenoids . Found in green leafy vegetables such as spinach and kale , lutein is employed by organisms as an antioxidant and for blue light absorption. more

Lutein (pronounced /?lu?ti??n/, /?lu?ti?n/, /?lu?t??n/ [ 1 ] ; from Latin luteus meaning "yellow") is one of over 600 known naturally occurring carotenoids . Found in green leafy vegetables such as spinach and kale , lutein is employed by organisms as an antioxidant and for blue light absorption. Lutein is present in the plant as fatty-acid ester, with one or two fatty acids bound to the two hydroxyl-groups. Saponification of lutein esters yields lutein in approximately a 1:2 molar ratio. Lutein is also found in egg yolks, animal fats and the corpus luteum . [ 2 ] Lutein is a lipophilic molecule and is generally insoluble in water. The presence of the long chromophore of conjugated double bonds ( polyene chain) provides the distinctive light-absorbing properties. The polyene chain is susceptible to oxidative degradation by light or heat and is chemically unstable in acids. less