Abstract
Carotenoids are substantially hydrophobic antioxidants. Hydrophobicity is this context is rather a disadvantage, because their utilization in medicine as antioxidants or in food chemistry as colorants would require some water dispersibility for their effective uptake or use in many other ways. In the past 15 years several attempts were made to synthetize partially hydrophilic carotenoids. This review compiles the recently synthetized hydrophilic carotenoid derivatives.
Highlights
There are substantially two reasons for the synthesis of carotenoids with increased hydrophilic character: their possible use in medicine because of the altered or enchanced biological activity of the new compounds or their use in food industry
A few hydrophilic carotenoids can be found in Nature, and among them the abundantly occuring crocin shows true water-solubility
The antioxidant activity of Molecules 2012, 17 some hydrophilic carotenoids increased in water when compared to the antioxidant activity of the hydrophobic parent compounds in organic solvents, as shown by Sliwka et al [1]
Summary
There are substantially two reasons for the synthesis of carotenoids with increased hydrophilic character: their possible use in medicine because of the altered or enchanced biological activity of the new compounds or their use in food (or feed) industry. A few hydrophilic carotenoids can be found in Nature, and among them the abundantly occuring crocin shows true water-solubility. Several methods have been published (mostly patented) for enhancing the hydrophilicity of carotenoids. These formulations are typically obtained by physical methods, like polyethyleneglycol (PEG) dispersions. The antioxidant activity of Molecules 2012, 17 some hydrophilic carotenoids increased in water when compared to the antioxidant activity of the hydrophobic parent compounds in organic solvents, as shown by Sliwka et al [1]
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