Xanthophyll

The characteristic color of egg yolk results from the presence of a xanthophyll pigment typical in color of lutein or zeaxanthin of the xanthophylls, a division of the carotenoids group.

Xanthophylls (originally phylloxanthins) are yellow pigments that occur widely in nature and form one of two major divisions of the carotenoid group; the other division is formed by the carotenes. The name is from Greek: xanthos (ξανθός), meaning "yellow",[1] and phyllon (φύλλον), meaning "leaf"),[2] due to their formation of the yellow band seen in early chromatography of leaf pigments.