The present invention provides for a process for isolation of carotenoidscrystals comprising drying a plant part toobtain a meal and extracting the meal with alcohol at a temperature in therange of about 50°C to 75°C to obtain oleoresin. Theoleoresin is enriched with alcohol at a temperature in the range of about25°C °C to 50°C and hydrolyzed with alcoholic alkali at atemperature in the range of about 70°C to 80°C to obtainreaction mixture. The carotenoids crystals are precipitated from the reactionmixture by adding hot water followed by filtering, washing and drying thecarotenoids crystals. The present invention also relatesto carotenoids crystals comprising lutein and zeaxanthin in the ratios ofabout 10:1 or 5:1 or 1:1 obtained by a process whichcomprises mixing an oleoresin rich in lutein and an oleoresin rich inzeaxanthin separately in a ratios ranging from about 80:20(w/w) to 90:10 (w/w) or about 70:30 (w/w) to 30:70 (w/w) or about 10:90 (w/w)to 20:80 (w/w) and homogenized to obtain amixed oleoresin. The mixed oleoresin is then hydrolyzed with an alcoholicalkali at a temperature of about 70°C to 80°C to obtaina reaction mixture. The carotenoids crystals are precipitated by adding hotwater to the reaction mixture to form a precipitate.Carotenoids crystals having lutein and zeaxanthin in a weight ratio of about10:1 or 5:1 or 1:1 respectively are obtained by filtering,washing and drying the precipitate.
