Capsanthin is a natural red dye of the
xanthophyll
Xanthophylls (originally phylloxanthins) are yellow pigments that occur widely in nature and form one of two major divisions of the carotenoid group; the other division is formed by the carotenes. The name is from Greek (, "yellow") and (, "lea ...
class of carotenoids. As a
food coloring
Food coloring, or color additive, is any dye, pigment, or substance that imparts color when it is added to food or drink. They come in many forms consisting of liquids, powders, gels, and pastes. Food coloring is used in both commercial food ...
, it has the
E number
E numbers ("E" stands for "Europe") are codes for substances used as food additives, including those found naturally in many foods such as vitamin C, for use within the European Union (EU) and European Free Trade Association (EFTA). Commonly ...
E160c(i). Capsanthin is the main
carotenoid
Carotenoids (), also called tetraterpenoids, are yellow, orange, and red organic pigments that are produced by plants and algae, as well as several bacteria, and fungi. Carotenoids give the characteristic color to pumpkins, carrots, parsnips, ...
in the ''
Capsicum annuum
''Capsicum annuum'' is a species of the plant genus ''Capsicum'' native to southern North America, the Caribbean, and northern South America. This species is the most common and extensively cultivated of the five domesticated capsicums. The spec ...
'' species of plants including
red bell pepper,
New Mexico chile
New Mexico chile or New Mexican chile (Scientific name: ''Capsicum annuum'' 'New Mexico Group'; es, chile de Nuevo México, ) is a cultivar group of the chile pepper from the US state of New Mexico, first grown by Pueblo and Hispano communiti ...
, and
cayenne pepper
The cayenne pepper is a type of '' Capsicum annuum''. It is usually a moderately hot chili pepper used to flavor dishes. Cayenne peppers are a group of tapering, 10 to 25 cm long, generally skinny, mostly red-colored peppers, often with ...
s (''Capsicum annuum'') and a component of
paprika oleoresin.
[ Capsanthin is also found in some species of lily. Among other carotenoids, capsanthin is considered to have the greatest antioxidant capacity due to the presence of eleven conjugated double bonds, a conjugated keto group, and a cyclopentane ring.
]
Health benefits
Xanthophyllic carotenoids like beta-carotene, , and zeaxanthin
Zeaxanthin is one of the most common carotenoids in nature, and is used in the xanthophyll cycle. Synthesized in plants and some micro-organisms, it is the pigment that gives paprika (made from bell peppers), corn, saffron, goji (wolfberries) ...
have often been touted for their ability to help eye functionality. Capsanthin is also able to support eye health and recent research has revealed its unique ability to help maintain intraocular pressure
Intraocular pressure (IOP) is the fluid pressure inside the eye. Tonometry is the method eye care professionals use to determine this. IOP is an important aspect in the evaluation of patients at risk of glaucoma. Most tonometers are calibrated t ...
within a healthy range. A clinical study on Wistar rats explored this effect over the course of 28 days. The rats were induced with higher intraocular pressure and then either given a placebo or capsanthin. At the end of the trial, rats that consumed capsanthin had normalized their eye pressure comparable to the control group that had normal pressure levels.dietary supplement
A dietary supplement is a manufactured product intended to supplement one's diet by taking a pill, capsule, tablet, powder, or liquid. A supplement can provide nutrients either extracted from food sources or that are synthetic in order ...
is still quite limited. It is currently only supplied by Unibar Corporation as CapsiClear and can be found within two supplements: "Health Thru Nutrition: Capsanthin" and "DouleuRx CapsiClear".
References
Carotenoids
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