Gardenia Crocetin, Crocin

As described above, foods that contained caramel or anthocyanins, for which the identification of gardenia yellow was impossible by the analytical method using crocin as an indicator due to the appearance of interfering spots at the same positions as the spots of crocin on the C18 TLC plates, were analyzed by the present method. As shown in Fig. 4 (left), crocetin appeared as a clear spot on the plate, and the shape and Rf value of the spot were in... 

L. Meyer [73] and Eochleder obtained crocin from the pods of Gardenia grandifiora, but it is not certain whether their product is identical with the above. They obtained a glucoside, C68H86O31, which splits up into sugar and crocetin, C34H38O4. As these bodies were only obtained in an amorphous state, these formulse appear to be doubtful. 

Glycosyl esters are compounds in which a carboxylic acid is esterified with the anomeric hydroxy group of a carbohydrate. In the carotenoid field crocin (545), the digentiobiosyl ester of the C2o-dicarboxylic acid crocetin (538), is the most prominent representative and constitutes the major carotenoid in saffron and also in Gardenia jasminoides. 

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