The topic has been summarized first in the book Carotenoids by Karrer & Jucker (1948¹), followed by Carotenoids, edited by Isler (1971²) who developed the first industrial syntheses of carotenoids.
First extensive publication about (E/Z)-isomers: L. Zechmeister, Cis-Trans Isomeric Carotenoids, Vitamins and Arylpolyenes (Verlag Springer, Wien, 1962).
The biochemical aspects have been covered by Goodwin (1952³, 1965⁴ etc.) and Britton (1976⁵, 1983⁶, 1988⁷ etc.).
The technical and nutritional applications of carotenoids have been treated in a book edited by Bauernfeind (1981⁸).
The book series Carotenoids (ed. Britton et al.) which is covering the entire carotenoid field has been started in 1995 (cf. Books).
Advances in the field of carotenoid research are treated in the publications of the International Symposia on Carotenoids, organized every 3 years since 1966:
Pure & Appl. Chem., 1976; 1985; 1991; 1994; 1997; 1999; 2002; 2006;
T.W. Goodwin (ed.), Carotenoids – 5 (Pergamon Press, Oxford, 1979); G. Britton & al. (ed.), Carotenoid Chemistry and Biochemistry (Pergamon Press, Oxford,1982); N. Krinsky & al. (ed.), Carotenoid Chemistry and Biochemistry (Plenum Press, New York, 1989); Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 483, 2009; Acta Biochimica Polonica 59, 2012; Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 572, 2015.
Britton & Goodwin (ed.), 1982; Pure Appl. Chem., 1985; Krinsky, Matthews-Roth & Taylor (ed.), 1989; Pure Appl. Chem. 1991, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2002, 2006; Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 483, 2009; Acta Biochimica Polonica 59, 2012; Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 572, 2015.
1 P. Karrer & E. Jucker, Carotinoide (Birkhäuser, Basel 1948).
2 O. Isler (ed.), Carotenoids (Birkhäuser, Basel 1971).
3 T.W. Goodwin, The Comparative Biochemistry of the Carotenoids (Chapman & Hall, London 1952).
4 T.W. Goodwin, Chemistry and Biochemistry of Plant Pigments (Academic Press, London 1965).
5 G. Britton, Chemistry and Biochemistry of Plant Pigments, Vol. 1 (ed. T.W. Goodwin, Academic Press, London 1976).
6 G. Britton, The Biochemistry of Natural Pigments (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1983).
7 G. Britton, Plant Pigments (ed. T.W. Goodwin, Academic Press, London 1988).
8 J.C. Bauernfeind (ed.), Carotenoids as Colorants and Vitamin A Precursors. Technological and Nutritional Applications (Academic Press, New York 1981).