Isolation and Purification of Lutein from Indian Spinach Basella alba

Lutein is a pharmacologically important phytochemical belonging to the class of carotenoids widely distributed in marigold flowers and green vegetables. It is industrially important for its biological activities such as antioxidant, immunostimulatory and macular protective properties. In this study, isolation and purification of lutein from Indian spinach, Basella alba was carried out. For the extraction of lutein, petroleum ether-acetone extract of spinach leaves was prepared which yielded 2.3 mg/100g of lutein. Preparative TLC of the extract yielded lutein with a Rf value of 0.12. Lutein isolated was subjected to spectral characterization by UV-Visible and FT-IR spectroscopy. The peaks obtained corresponded well with those reported for standard lutein. Results of the study indicated that B. alba leaves can be used as a source for obtaining lutein.