Xanthophyll is the yellow pigment, or coloring matter, in the cells of plants. The yellow in autumn leaves, vegetables, and many flowers is caused by xanthophyll, or xanthophyll combined with other pigments.
The xanthophyll in a plant cell is found in a kind of plastid, called a chromoplast. Plastids are living bits of cytoplasm specialized to store pigments or starch.
In the higher plants, about fifteen to twenty chemical varieties of xanthophyll have been found. Lutein is the most important pigment of the group. The yellow color of egg yolk is mostly caused by lutein. In man, xanthophyll absorbed from food is deposited in fat cells and skin tissues.
