Canthaxanthin

Canthaxanthin /ˌkænθəˈzænθɪn/ ⓘ is a <a href="/facts/Ketocarotenoid/Jm2eHYwW">keto-carotenoid</a> pigment widely distributed in nature. <a href="/facts/Carotenoids/Jm2eHYwW">Carotenoids</a> belong to a larger class of phytochemicals known as <a href="/facts/Terpenoid/1GvG7W7v">terpenoids</a>. The chemical formula of canthaxanthin is C40H52O2. It was first isolated in edible mushrooms. It has also been found in <a href="/facts/Green_alga/3NlQ6pKF">green algae</a>, <a href="/facts/Bacteria/wC8xSCsU">bacteria</a>, <a href="/facts/Crustacean/PBobIVJP">crustaceans</a>, and <a href="/facts/Bioaccumulate/KaHzFKnL">bioaccumulates</a> in fish such as <a href="/facts/Carp/8VFzFsYk">carp</a>, <a href="/facts/Golden_grey_mullet/6QDgYgEy">golden grey mullet</a>, <a href="/facts/Seabream/IVrvnnft">seabream</a> and trush wrasse.
Canthaxanthin is associated with <a href="/facts/E_number/n3VSY29I">E number</a> E161g and is approved for use as a food coloring agent in different countries, including the United States and the EU; however, it is not approved for use in Australia and New Zealand. It is generally authorized for feed applications in at least the following countries: US, Canada, EU. In the <a href="/facts/European_Union/6GYcR8qM">EU</a>, canthaxanthin is allowed by law to be added to <a href="/facts/Trout/ptMf8sS2">trout</a> feed, salmon feed and poultry feed. The <a href="/facts/European_Union/6GYcR8qM">European Union</a> limit is 80 mg/kg of feedstuffs, 8 mg/kg in feed for egg laying hens and 25 mg/kg in feed for other poultry and salmonids.
Canthaxanthin is a potent lipid-soluble antioxidant. The biological functions of canthaxanthin are related, at least in part, to its ability to function as an antioxidant (free radical scavenging/vitamin E sparing) in animal tissues.

Canthaxanthin open-in-new

Canthaxanthin