A simple procedure for large-scale purification of 9-cis beta-carotene from Dunaliella bardawil.

For experiments designed to obtain reliable data on the metabolic pathway and biological function of 9-cis beta-carotene, sufficient quantity of this substance in pure form is needed. For this purpose, we decided to purify 9-cis beta-carotene from the dry powder of the alga Dunaliella bardawil. By use of both silica gel and ODS open column chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) on an ODS column and by treatment of the sample with ethanol, we could obtain this carotenoid as fine needle-shaped orange crystals. They were found to be highly pure as judged by analytical HPLC, absorption spectrum, and nuclear magnetic resonance analysis.