Integrated solvent-free extraction and encapsulation of lutein from marigold petals and its application

Abstract

Vivid orange petals of marigold have been studied well as the richest source of lutein. Although it is very promising to be explored as functional food ingredients, there were only few studies that described extraction methods which meet food grade requirements. Here, lutein was extracted from marigold petals using vegetable oil, subsequently encapsulated and prepared as lyophilized powder, and incorporated into milk-tea beverage. An organoleptic assay was conducted in order to evaluate the effect of lutein addition into milk-tea beverage as well as the consumers’ preference. The results showed that the extraction capacity of vegetable oil was 1.9 times higher than that of acetone, being comparable to that of hexane. Interestingly, the encapsulated lutein was favorably incorporated into milk-tea, and its flavor was liked very much by the panellists.

Keywords

• beverage
• lutein
• marigold
• organoleptic
• organic solvent-free extraction