The invention belongs to the field of carotenoids, and particularly relates to a new synthesis method of epsilon-
carotene. The method comprises the following steps: dissolving 2,7-dimethyl-2,4,6-octanetriene-1,8-
bisphosphonate in an
anhydrous solvent, adding an alkali solution under the protection of
nitrogen, and performing stirring to obtain a reaction solution 1; dropwise adding 3-methyl-5-(2,6,6-trimethyl-2-
cyclohexane-1-yl)-2,4-pentadienal dissolved in the
anhydrous solvent to the reaction solution 1, dropwise adding deionized water after the above dropwise
addition reaction is completed,and performing uniform stirring to obtain a reaction solution 2; performing reduced pressure
distillation on the reaction solution 2 to remove the
organic solvent in order to obtain an
aqueous solution, performing extraction by using the
organic solvent,
drying the obtained extract by
anhydrous magnesium sulfate, and filtering the dried extract to obtain an organic solution; and distilling off the
organic solvent in the organic solution, adding an
alcohol solvent, performing a refluxing reaction under the protection of
nitrogen, and cooling and filtering the obtained reaction solution to obtain the epsilon-
carotene. The preparation method has the characteristics of simple process
route, convenience in operation, high yield, low cost, recyclable byproducts and good industrialization values.