Determination and quantification of carotenoids in sea sponges Raspaciona aculeata and Dictyonella marsilii present in the Ganzirri Lake (Messina), Italy.

Considering the crucial role of carotenoids exploitable both as nutraceuticals and also as dyes in food industry, there are many efforts in seeking for new sources of these pigments, especially in the marine world. In this study, for the first time, we extracted carotenoids from sea sponges Raspaciona aculeata and Dictyonella marsilii taken from Ganzirri Lake Messina (Italy). The determination and quantification of carotenoids was made by UPLC-PDA-MS. Remarkable results concern renieratene content in R. aculeate found to be over 2570 ppm.