Abstract

Carotenoids are natural compounds present in animals and plants. They have important applications in food and drugs and are usually extracted from natural materials. Alfalfa is rich in carotenoids. Commercial methods have been described for extracting carotenes and xanthophylls from alfalfa. In the present study, carotenoids were extracted and measured from alfalfa by acid, alkaline and enzyme extraction methods. The results showed different contents of the carotenoids in different methods of extraction. The carotenoids level when enzyme was used for the extraction from Alfalfa was significantly more than acid and alkaline. This finding shows that the pigment was probably attached to proteins in alfalfa. In this experiment, sodium hydroxide could also replace enzymatic methods. The amount of pigment was followed by sodium hydroxide treatment after enzymatic method.