Abstract: Lutein is a kind of natural pigment widely existing in vegetables, flowers, fruits and some algae. It is also abasic nutrient of ideal diet. In recent years, it has been widely used in food, medicine, animal feed and other fields. Thedevelopment of functional food based on lutein has gradually become the key direction of food resource utilization. Inthis review, five extraction methods of lutein were introduced, including organic solvent extraction, ultrasound-assistedextraction, microwave-assisted extraction, enzyme-assisted extraction and supercritical CO₂ extraction. Then, this arti-cle clarified the function of lutein in improving eye disease, neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular disease, cancerdiseases and obesity related diseases. The mechanisms of its function were also concerned. Finally, the effects of envi-ronmental factors such as oxygen, temperature, p H and light on the stability of lutein were analyzed and elaborated,hoping to provide a theoretical basis for the application of lutein in the functional food.