Étude des pigments des gonades de pectens australiens

We proposed to study the carotenoid pigments colouring the gonads of frozen Australian scallops. LEDERER was the first to conduct a study on this subject. He found only one important pigment in the gonads of Pecten maximus: a xanthophyll with three oxygen atoms (C40H54O3±H2) showing absorption maxima at 457 and 487 xx in petroleum ether. He named it "pectenoxanthine". Other pigments, whose quantities vary according to the season, go with the "pectenoxanthine". They have the same absorption spectrum. LEDERER managed to separate up to six different zones by TLC. More recently, FISHER et al. studied the content of vitamin A and carotenoids of the same Pecten maximus (LINNAEUS). They mostly found xanthophylls as well as a trace of ~-carotene, but no astaxanthin. Finally, GOODWIN noticed that xanthophylls and acid reaction carotenoides could be found in Lamellibranches, but no astaxanthin. (unverified OCR)