PURPOSE: To obtain a carotenoid-containing extract, capable of manifesting excellent antioxidant activities derived from a natural product having high safety and useful as an antioxidant or a colorant for prescriptions corresponding to respective objects such as foods, medicines and cosmetics by extracting a fruit of Taxus cuspidata with an organic solvent.
CONSTITUTION: This extract is obtained by extracting a fruit of Taxus cuspidata with an organic solvent such as methanol, ethanol, ethyl acetate or acetone and concentrating the resultant extract solution. Furthermore, the extract is fractionated with a silica gel chromatography and a red fraction eluted with 70% diethyl ether/n-hexane, 90% diethyl ether/n-hexane or 20% diethyl ether/ acetone can be concentrated to respectively afford rhodoxanthin of formula I, eschscholtzxanthone of formula II or eschscholtzxanthin of formula III.
ITO YOSHIHIRO
MATSUMURA AKIHIKO
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