Xanthophyll

Xanthophylls are yellow pigments from the carotenoid group. Their molecular structure is based on carotenes; contrary to the carotenes, some hydrogen atoms are substituted by hydroxyl groups and/or some pairs of hydrogen atoms are substituted by oxygen atoms. They are found in the leaves of most plants and are synthesized within the plastids. They are involved in photosynthesis along with green chlorophyll, which typically covers up the yellow except in autumn, when the chlorophyll is denatured by the cold.
In plants, xanthophylls are considered accessory pigments, along with anthocyanins, carotenes, and sometimes phycobiliproteins. Xanthophylls, along with carotenic pigments are seen when leaves turn orange in the autumn season.Animals cannot produce xanthophylls, and thus xanthophylls found in animals (e.g. in the eye) come from their food intake. The yellow color of chicken egg yolks also comes from ingested xanthophylls.
Xanthophylls are oxidized derivatives of carotenes. They contain hydroxyl groups and are more polar than carotenes; therefore, carotenes travel further than xanthophylls in paper chromatography.
The group of xanthophylls includes lutein, zeaxanthin, neoxanthin, violaxanthin, and α- and β-cryptoxanthin.
Xanthophyll has a chemical formula of C40H56O2.