Xanthra™ — Cordyceps & Saffron Honey

Xanthra™ Cordyceps + Saffron Honey

Xanthra™ combines Cordyceps militaris and saffron (Crocus sativus) extracts with raw honey, bringing together two organisms with fascinating and unusually colorful carotenoid chemistry.

Cordyceps Carotenoids

The brilliant orange color of Cordyceps militaris comes in part from carotenoid pigments. Researchers have isolated a distinctive group of carotenoids from C. militaris fruiting bodies known as cordyxanthins I–IV. These compounds have been characterized as xanthophyll carotenoids with unusual water-soluble properties.

Research:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1756464613001412

Additional research into C. militaris has identified pathways and genes associated with carotenoid biosynthesis and demonstrated that carotenoid production is closely connected with the characteristic coloration of the mushroom.

Research:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31552008/

Saffron Carotenoids

Saffron’s intense golden-red color comes largely from crocin, a water-soluble carotenoid-derived pigment. Crocins are glycosylated derivatives of crocetin, an apocarotenoid produced through the cleavage of carotenoid precursors such as zeaxanthin.

Research:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24665936/

Research on saffron biosynthesis has further characterized the pathway responsible for transforming carotenoid precursors into crocetin and crocins.

Research:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6052985/

Two Kingdoms, One Color Story

Xanthra™ brings together two remarkable sources of naturally occurring pigments:

Cordyceps → Cordyxanthins
Distinctive xanthophyll carotenoids associated with the orange pigmentation of Cordyceps militaris.

Saffron → Crocins & Crocetin
Carotenoid-derived compounds responsible for saffron’s unmistakable golden-red color.

Both ingredients are especially interesting because their characteristic pigments include water-soluble or water-compatible carotenoid compounds, an unusual feature within carotenoid chemistry.

Blended into raw honey, Xanthra™ is an exploration of the chemistry behind two of nature’s most intensely colored organisms.

Further Reading

Cordyxanthins from Cordyceps militaris:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1756464613001412

Carotenoid biosynthesis in Cordyceps militaris:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31552008/

Crocin & crocetin chemistry in saffron:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24665936/

Crocin biosynthesis in saffron:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6052985/