Xanthophyll composition comprising lutein and zeaxanthin with enhanced bioavailability

A xanthophyll composition comprising:

• a) trans-R,R lutein in a range of about 65-85% by weight;
• b) trans-R,R zeaxanthin in a range of about 10-30% by weight;
• c) one or more carriers or vehicles in a range of about 20-80% by weight, wherein the one or more carriers or vehicles is selected from medium chain triglycerides (MCT) oil, sunflower oil, coconut oil, corn oil, cottonseed oil, canola oil, palm oil, peanut oil, safflower oil, sesame oil, soybean oil, rapeseed oil, and a mixture thereof;
• d) one or more solubility enhancers in a range of about 1-10% by weight;
• e) optionally one or more flavoring agents in a range of about 1-5% by weight;
• f) one or more bioavailability enhancing agents in a range of about 1-10% by weight, wherein the one or more bioavailability enhancing agents is selected from phosphatidyl choline, nigella, caraway oil, and a mixture thereof;
• and
• g) one or more antioxidant agents in a range of about 1-10% by weight;
• wherein the trans-R,R lutein and trans-R,R zeaxanthin are obtained by a two-step extraction and purification process comprising:
• (i) extracting marigold flowers and paprika fruit pods with a food-grade solvent to obtain marigold and paprika oleoresins rich in lutein esters and R,R-zeaxanthin esters, respectively;
• and (ii) treating the oleoresins with an aqueous alcoholic alkali solution to effect saponification, thereby converting lutein esters and R,R-zeaxanthin esters to free trans-R,R lutein and trans-R,R zeaxanthin, followed by extraction, purification, and isolation to obtain a marigold and paprika extract concentrate comprising at least 80% by weight of trans-R,R lutein and at least 15% by weight of trans-R,R zeaxanthin, and are present in a ratio of 4:1 to 6:1,
• wherein the isolated and purified xanthophylls are micronized using a jet mill to obtain a particle size of the trans-R,R lutein and trans-R,R zeaxanthin in a range of 0.1-10 microns, and
• wherein said composition is free from R,S zeaxanthin and S,S zeaxanthin.