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Crystals 2011, 1(3), 128-135; doi:10.3390/cryst1030128

Article

Crystal Structure Characterization of Natural Allantoin from Edible Lichen Umbilicaria esculenta

Baojun Xu ^1,* , Changkeun Sung ²  and Byunghee Han ³

¹ Food Science and Technology Program, Beijing Normal University–Hong Kong Baptist University United International College, Zhuhai, Guangdong 519085, China ² Department of Food Science and Technology, Chungnam National University, Taejon 305-764, South Korea ³ Department of Chemistry, Chungnam National University, Taejon 305-764, South Korea

* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Received: 7 July 2011; in revised form: 3 August 2011 / Accepted: 8 August 2011 / Published: 9 August 2011

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Abstract: In China, Korea, and Japan, Umbilicaria esculenta is considered as both food and medicinal resources from lichen. In the current study, a prismatic crystal was first isolated from edible lichen U. esculenta via solvent fractionation. The structure of the crystalline compound was elucidated as allantoin using single-crystal X-ray crystallographic and spectroscopic techniques. In light of the wide use of synthesized allantoin in cosmetic industry as a skin protectant, the biological origin of the allantoin isolated from natural food stuff edible lichen has great potential to be developed into functional cosmetics. Current findings also provided useful information for ecologists to further explore the role of lichen and allantoin in nitrogen metabolism.

Keywords: Umbilicaria esculenta; edible lichen; crystal; allantoin; X-ray crystallography

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