{"id":264,"date":"2016-10-26T17:31:17","date_gmt":"2016-10-26T15:31:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/airpixx.ch\/carotenature\/?page_id=264"},"modified":"2017-01-06T15:43:01","modified_gmt":"2017-01-06T14:43:01","slug":"carrot","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.carotenature.com\/index.php\/carotenoids\/examples\/carrot\/","title":{"rendered":"Carrot"},"content":{"rendered":"

In natural products the most common carotenoid is the yellow-orange pigment of the carrot (Daucus carota), the \u03b2-carotene<\/strong>. It was isolated together with additional carotenes in crystalline form as early as 1831 by Wackenroder. Later, it gave the name to the entire class of these compounds.<\/p>\n

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Different total syntheses of \u03b2-carotene were published independently in 1950 by Karrer & Eugster, Inhoffen and Milas. Just four years later \u03b2-carotene<\/strong> was produced commercially and used as pigment in food and feed. The capacity for the production by industrial synthesis is several hundred tons of \u03b2-carotene<\/strong> per year.<\/p>\n

Because of its pro-vitamin A activity \u03b2-carotene<\/strong> is one of the most important carotenoids. The first step in biosynthesis is the cleavage of the central double bond of the \u03b2-carotene<\/strong> molecule which results in two molecules of retinal. This reaction is catalyzed by the enzyme \u03b2-carotene<\/strong> -15,15′-oxygenase. Afterwards, retinal is reduced to vitamin A (retinol).<\/p>\n

The chart below shows the content of \u03b2-carotene<\/strong> in various fresh fruits and vegetables<\/p>\n

\u03b2-carotene<\/strong> content in mg per 100g edible material<\/p>\n

\"161027_both\"<\/p>\n

The values indicated can only serve as an approximation since:<\/p>\n