Natural Occurrence of Enantiomeric and <i>meso</i>‐Astaxanthin. 5. Ex wild salmon (<i>Salmo salar</i> and <i>Oncorhynchus</i>)

Abstract

Abstract The configurational isomers of astaxanthin (3,3′‐dihydroxy‐β,β‐carotene‐4,4′‐dione) from the flesh of salmon ( Salmo salar and Oncorhynchus ) caught at different places in Europe and Canada were isolated and analyzed as (−)‐camphanic acid diesters by means of HPLC. The biological variation in the composition of the configurational isomers in seven fish was surprisingly similar: 78 to 85% of (3 S , 3′ S )‐astaxanthin, 12 to 17% (3 R , 3′ R )‐astaxanthin and 2 to 6% meso ‐astaxanthin.