Carotenoids and Their Fatty Acid Esters of Spiny Lobster Panulirus japonicus

Abstract

Carotenoids and their fatty acid esters in the carapace of the spiny lobster Panulirus japonicus were investigated. Fatty acid esters of astaxanthin, adonixanthin, and pectenolone were characterized by ¹H-NMR and FAB-MS. The acylated position of adonixanthin and pectenolone monoesters was determined to be a hydroxy group at C-3’ by ¹H-NMR. The fatty acids esterified with these carotenoids were identified as C22:6, C20:4, C20:5, C18:0, C18:1, C17:0, C16:0, C16:1, C14:0, and C12:0 from FAB-MS spectral data. Furthermore, 2,3-didehydrocanthaxanthin (4) was first identified as a natural product.