The Xanthophylls of Spirulina and Their Effect on Egg Yolk Pigmentation ,

Abstract

The carotenoid composition of the blue-green algae spirulina (Spirulina platensis) was determined using HPLC. Freeze-dried spirulina had a total xanthophyll concentration of 5,787 mg/kg. Adult Japanese quail were fed a pigment-free basal diet for 4 wk. Diets containing graded levels of freeze-dried spirulina between .25 and 4.0% were then fed for 21 days. Yolk color was determined using the Roche color fan. Spirulina at 1.0% of the diet provided optimum pigmentation in a diet otherwise free of xanthophylls.