Chapter 7
Analytical Protocols in Carotenoid
Analysis
Antonio Pérez-Gálvez and Javier Fontecha
Abstract Carotenoids are key pigments in microalgae organisms where they
develop significant functions related with the capture of light and other metabolic
processes. Indeed, considering the actions carotenoids perform in mammals, with
potential benefits to human health, the concept of microalgae as carotenoid food
sources deserves a growing attention. Therefore, a great diversity of analytical
protocols is available, although the striking structures that carotenoids arrange in
microalgae, and the complex profile these organisms often show, still demand the
application of state-of -the-art techniques for their isolation and identification. This
chapter is focused on the analytical techniques applied for the exhaustive extraction of
pigments from microalgae and, thereafter, the LC methods that allow the acquisition
of the individual chromatographic and spectroscopic properties of the carotenoids.
At this point the reader realizes that the identification of carotenoids requires further
independent and complementary physicochemical properties through hyphenated
LC systems with hybrid mass spectrometers.
Keywords HPLC-MS · Exhaustive extraction · Isolation · Identification ·
Analytical protocols
7.1 Introduction
There is a vast and unexplored diversity of valuable natural products that accumulate in marine organisms, which are becoming an attractive research subject at
many different levels. Although marine resources have traditionally been exploited
A. Pérez-Gálvez (B)
Food Phytochemistry Department, Instituto de la Grasa (CSIC), Campus Universitario, Building
46, 41013 Seville, Spain
e-mail: aperez@ig.csic.es
J. Fontecha
Institute of Food Science Research (CSIC-UAM), 28049 Madrid, Spain
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
E. Jacob-Lopes et al. (eds.), Pigments from Microalgae Handbook,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-50971-2_7
151
Analytical Protocols in Carotenoid
Analysis
Antonio Pérez-Gálvez and Javier Fontecha
Abstract Carotenoids are key pigments in microalgae organisms where they
develop significant functions related with the capture of light and other metabolic
processes. Indeed, considering the actions carotenoids perform in mammals, with
potential benefits to human health, the concept of microalgae as carotenoid food
sources deserves a growing attention. Therefore, a great diversity of analytical
protocols is available, although the striking structures that carotenoids arrange in
microalgae, and the complex profile these organisms often show, still demand the
application of state-of -the-art techniques for their isolation and identification. This
chapter is focused on the analytical techniques applied for the exhaustive extraction of
pigments from microalgae and, thereafter, the LC methods that allow the acquisition
of the individual chromatographic and spectroscopic properties of the carotenoids.
At this point the reader realizes that the identification of carotenoids requires further
independent and complementary physicochemical properties through hyphenated
LC systems with hybrid mass spectrometers.
Keywords HPLC-MS · Exhaustive extraction · Isolation · Identification ·
Analytical protocols
7.1 Introduction
There is a vast and unexplored diversity of valuable natural products that accumulate in marine organisms, which are becoming an attractive research subject at
many different levels. Although marine resources have traditionally been exploited
A. Pérez-Gálvez (B)
Food Phytochemistry Department, Instituto de la Grasa (CSIC), Campus Universitario, Building
46, 41013 Seville, Spain
e-mail: aperez@ig.csic.es
J. Fontecha
Institute of Food Science Research (CSIC-UAM), 28049 Madrid, Spain
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
E. Jacob-Lopes et al. (eds.), Pigments from Microalgae Handbook,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-50971-2_7
151