Isolation and Tentative Identification of the Carotenoids Present in Chicken Skin and Egg Yolks

Abstract

SEVERAL groups of investigators have studied the characteristics of the carotenoids deposited in the skin and egg yolk of chickens (Palmer, 1915; Brockman and Völker, 1934; Zechmeister and Tuzson, 1934; Peterson <it>et al.,</it> 1939; Schrenk <it>et al.,</it> 1944; Thompson <it>et al.,</it> 1946; Ganguly <it>et al.,</it> 1953; Marusich <it>et al.,</it> 1960; Anjaneyalu, 1962; and Williams <it>et al.,</it> 1963). Much of this earlier work has been reviewed by Goodwin (1954). Generally, in the work cited, identification of the carotenoids present has depended upon phasic separation between different solvent systems. Though in the work of Schrenk <it>et al.</it> (1944), Thompson <it>et al.</it> (1946) and Anjaneyalu (1962) adsorption chromatography was used in identifying the pigments present in egg yolks. The identity of the carotenoids deposited in the egg yolk and skin of chickens in the studies reported by Marusich <it>et al.</it> (1960) and Williams <it>et al.</it> (1963) was presumptive since they fed isolated carotenoids . . .