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Carotenes are a group of naturally occurring carotenoid pigments, widely known for their role as colorants, antioxidants, and vitamin A precursors in food and biological systems.
Carotenes have a general formula around C₄₀H₅₆ (e.g., β-carotene).
Carotenes belong to the class of hydrocarbon carotenoids.
CAS Number: 7235-40-7
Molecular Formula: C40H56
Molecular Weight: 536.87
EINECS Number: 230-636-6
Synonyms:beta-carotene, 7235-40-7, beta Carotene, beta,beta-Carotene, Beta, beta-carotene, Betacarotene, Betacarotenum, Betacaroteno, beta-Karotin, Karotin, Carotene beta, Carotene,beta, CAROTENE BETA, .beta.-Carotene, .beta.,.beta.-Carotene, beta-Carotin, beta carotene, beta -carotene, b,b-Carotene, b-Carotene, all-trans-beta-Carotene, beta-Carotene all-trans, beta-Carotene, all-trans-, all trans beta-Carotene, all-trans-b-Carotene, trans-beta-Carotene, E-beta-carotene, (all-E)-beta-Carotene, all-E-b-Carotene, all-E-.beta.-Carotene, Provitamin A, Solatene, Solatene (caps), Carotaben, Provatene, Provatenol, Lucaratin, Lucarotin, Lucarotin 30sun, BetaVit, Lumitene, MaxCaro, Max Caro, Optimun, Gerard, Eldon, Golden rose, Nature's plus, Rovimix beta-CAROTENE, Rovimix .beta.-carotene, Rovimix b-carotene, Carofertin, Food orange 5, C.I. Food Orange 5, CI Food Orange 5, Natural Yellow 26, Zlut prirodni 26, CI 40800, C.I.-40800, CI 75130, C.I. 75130, E160A, E-160a(iii), Ins-160a(iii), Ins no.160a(iii), 01YAE03M7J, UNII-01YAE03M7J, DTXSID3020253, DTXCID10253, RefChem:6393, CHEBI:17579, CHEMBL1293, EINECS 230-636-6, 230-636-6, NSC-62794, NSC62794, NSC 62794, MFCD00001556, CCRIS 3245, HSDB 3264, SCHEMBL6151, orb1307959, BDBM54988, cid_5280489, HMS501A12, HY-N0411R, MSK1569, GLXC-23133, AKOS015896682, DB06755, FC19822, NSC-755910, NCGC00096081-01, NCGC00096081-02, NCGC00096081-06, C02094, D03101, Q306135, SOLATENE;PROVITAMIN A1;PROVITAMIN A;TRANS-B-CAROTENE;(all-E)-1,1'-(3,7,12,16-Tetramethyl-1,3,5,7,9,11,13,15,17-octadecanonaene-1,18-diyl)bis(2,6,6-trimethylcyclohexene);1,1’-(3,7,12,16-tetramethyl-1,3,5,7,9,11,13,15,17-octadecanonaene-cyclohexen;1,3,5,7,9,11,13,15,17-Octadecanonene,3,7,12,16-tetramethyl-1,18-cyclohex-1-ene,2,6,6-trimethyl-;6-trimethyl-18-diyl)bis((all-e)-6
Carotenes consist of a long conjugated polyene chain of carbon and hydrogen atoms, often with cyclic end groups (as in β-carotene).
Carotenes do not contain oxygen atoms (unlike xanthophylls).
This structure gives them strong light-absorbing properties.
Carotenes are naturally found in carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach, and other fruits and vegetables.
Carotenes are responsible for yellow, orange, and red colors.
This highlights their nutritional importance.
Carotenes appear as yellow to orange crystalline powders.
Carotenes are insoluble in water but soluble in fats and organic solvents.
They are sensitive to light, heat, and oxygen.
Carotenes exhibit strong antioxidant activity, helping to neutralize free radicals.
Some carotenes (especially β-carotene) act as pro-vitamin A, converting to vitamin A in the body.
This supports health functions.
Carotenes are chemically unstable under light, heat, and oxygen exposure, leading to degradation and color fading.
They are often stabilized or encapsulated.
Proper storage is required.
Carotenes are widely used in food, feed, cosmetics, and supplements due to their color and nutritional properties.
They enhance both appearance and health value.
This highlights their importance.
Carotenes are best described as fat-soluble, antioxidant pigments with strong coloring ability and nutritional benefits, widely used across food, health, and industrial applications.
Carotenes is widely distributed in both plant and animal kingdoms and is the most important pro-vitamin A.
In plants, Carotenes is almost always found with chlorophyll.
Carotenes is used for many related unsaturated hydrocarbon substances having the formula C40Hx, which are synthesized by plants but in general cannot be made by animals (with the exception of some aphids and spider mites which acquired the synthesizing genes from fungi).
Carotenes are photosynthetic pigments important for photosynthesis.
Carotenes contribute to photosynthesis by transmitting the light energy they absorb to chlorophyll.
They also protect plant tissues by helping to absorb the energy from singlet oxygen, an excited form of the oxygen molecule O2 which is formed during photosynthesis.
Carotenes belongs to a group of colored pigments called carotenoids.
Carotenes's converted to vitamin A in the body and found in many fruits and vegetables.
Carotenes and other red, orange, and yellow pigments called carotenoids are considered antioxidants.
Melting point: 178–179 °C
Boiling point: 644.94°C (rough estimate)
Density: 1.000
vapor pressure: 0.004 Pa at 25℃
refractive index: 1.5630 (estimate)
Flash point: 103 °C
storage temp.: -20°C
solubility: hexane: 100 μg/mL, soluble
form: powder
color: red to purple
biological source: synthetic
Water Solubility: Soluble in hexane, dimethyl sulfoxide, benzene, chloroform, cyclohexane. Insoluble in water
Sensitive: Air & Light Sensitive
LogP: 6.5 at 40℃ and pH 6.5
Carotenes is a tetraterpene with 11 conjugated double bonds that give the molecule an orange color.
Carotenes is a carotenoid compound that is present in large quantities in the human diet and subsequently is found in all human tissues, including blood.
High temperature encourages the isomerization of the double bonds, which lightens the color.
Carotenes and fluorescence emission (red) spectra at four excitation wavelengths from β-carotene in hexane solvent at 23 °C are shown below.
A cyclic carotene obtained by dimerisation of all-trans-retinol.
A strongly-coloured red-orange pigment abundant in plants and fruit and the most active and important provitamin A carotenoid.
Carotenes contain no oxygen atoms.
They absorb ultraviolet, violet, and blue light, and scatter orange or red light, and yellow light (in low concentrations).
Carotenes are responsible for the orange colour of the carrot, after which this class of chemicals is named, and for the colours of many other fruits, vegetables and fungi (for example, sweet potatoes, chanterelle and orange cantaloupe melon).
Carotenes are also responsible for the orange (but not all of the yellow) colours in dry foliage.
They also (in lower concentrations) impart the yellow coloration to milk-fat and butter.
Omnivorous animal species which are relatively poor converters of coloured dietary carotenoids to colourless retinoids, such as humans and chickens, have yellow-coloured body fat, as a result of the carotenoid retention from the vegetable portion of their diet.
Carotenes include several types such as β-carotene, α-carotene, and γ-carotene, each differing slightly in structure and biological activity.
Carotenes is the most abundant and biologically important.
It is the primary provitamin A carotene.
The molecules contain an extended system of conjugated double bonds, which allows efficient absorption of visible light.
This gives intense yellow to orange coloration.
Carotenes also enables antioxidant activity.
Carotenes are highly lipophilic (fat-soluble), meaning they accumulate in lipid environments.
They require dietary fats for proper absorption.
This is important in nutrition.
They exhibit strong singlet oxygen quenching ability, protecting cells from oxidative damage.
This is one of their key biological functions.
Carotenes supports cellular health.
Carotenes can exist in different isomeric forms (trans and cis).
Processing and heat can convert trans to cis forms.
Cis forms may have different bioavailability.
They accumulate in human tissues such as skin, liver, and adipose tissue.
This contributes to their physiological effects.
Carotenes also explains skin coloration at high intake.
Carotenes are often produced industrially via extraction from plants or microbial fermentation.
Synthetic production is also possible.
This supports large-scale applications.
They are frequently formulated using encapsulation or emulsification techniques to improve stability and dispersibility.
These methods protect against degradation.
This enhances product performance.
Carotenes are a diverse group of lipid-soluble pigments with strong antioxidant activity, provitamin A potential, and formulation-dependent stability, making them essential in nutrition, food, and industrial applications.
Uses:
Carotenes is a known antioxidant, and antioxidants are substances that may protect your cells from free radicals, which may play a role in heart disease, cancer and other diseases.
Carotenes is a coloring agent used in margarine, cheese and pudding to produce the desired color, and is also used as an additive to yellow-orange color.
Carotenes is also a precursor to carotenoids and vitamin A It is beneficial in protecting the skin from dryness and peeling.
Carotenes also slows cognitive decline and is beneficial to human health.
Carotenes are widely used in the food industry as natural colorants (E160a).
They provide yellow to orange coloration in products such as beverages, dairy, and processed foods.
This enhances visual appeal.
In dietary supplements, especially β-carotene, they are used as pro-vitamin A sources.
They support vision, immune function, and skin health.
This improves nutritional value.
Carotenes are applied in functional foods and beverages to enhance antioxidant content.
Carotenes help reduce oxidative stress.
This supports health-oriented products.
In animal feed, particularly for poultry and aquaculture, they enhance pigmentation of egg yolks, skin, and fish flesh.
They improve product appearance.
This increases market value.
Carotenes are used in cosmetic and skincare formulations as antioxidants and colorants.
Carotenes help protect skin from oxidative damage.
This improves product performance.
Carotenes are applied in pharmaceutical and nutraceutical products for their antioxidant and nutritional properties.
Carotenes contribute to preventive health strategies.
This supports wellness applications.
In margarine, butter, and spreads, they are used to standardize color.
Carotenes provide a consistent yellow tone.
This improves consumer acceptance.
They are used in plant-based and alternative food products to mimic natural color of traditional foods.
Carotenes enhance visual realism.
This supports product development.
Carotenes are also used in research and analytical applications to study antioxidant behavior and carotenoid metabolism.
Carotenes serve as reference compounds.
This supports scientific investigation.
Carotenes are used wherever natural coloration, antioxidant protection, and nutritional enhancement are required across food, supplements, cosmetics, and agricultural applications.
Carotenes are used in infant nutrition formulas to provide essential nutrients similar to those found in breast milk.
They support visual and immune development.
This improves nutritional quality.
In fortified dairy and cereal products, they are added to enhance both color and nutritional value.
They provide antioxidant benefits.
This supports functional food formulations.
Carotenes are applied in sports nutrition products for their antioxidant properties.
Carotenes help reduce oxidative stress from intense exercise.
This supports recovery.
Carotenes are used in anti-aging and wellness products due to their ability to combat oxidative damage.
Carotenes help protect cells over time.
This improves product effectiveness.
In sun-care and after-sun cosmetic formulations, they contribute to protection against UV-induced oxidative stress.
Carotenes support skin health.
This enhances cosmetic performance.
Carotenes are used in encapsulated ingredient systems to improve stability and bioavailability.
Encapsulation protects them from light and oxygen.
This extends shelf life.
Carotenes are applied in aquaculture and livestock feed to enhance pigmentation and improve product quality.
They influence color of fish, poultry, and eggs.
This increases commercial value.
In clean-label food products, they serve as natural alternatives to synthetic colorants.
Carotenes align with consumer demand for natural ingredients.
Safety Profile:
When heated to decomposition it emits acrid smoke and irritating fumes.
Carotenes present very low hazard potential, as they are naturally occurring dietary pigments widely consumed in fruits and vegetables.
They are generally recognized as safe at typical use levels.
However, concentrated forms require standard precautions.
Skin contact is typically low risk, but prolonged exposure to concentrated powder may cause mild irritation or staining (yellow-orange coloration).
Sensitive individuals may experience slight redness.
Protective gloves are recommended in industrial handling.
Eye contact may cause mild mechanical irritation.
Symptoms include redness and discomfort.
Eyes should be rinsed thoroughly with water if exposure occurs.
Inhalation of dust may cause minor respiratory irritation.
Fine particles can irritate the nose and throat.
Adequate ventilation and dust control are recommended.
Ingestion is considered safe at normal dietary and supplement levels, but excessive intake (especially of β-carotene) may lead to harmless skin discoloration (carotenodermia).
Carotenes is not associated with significant toxicity.
Medical advice may be sought if large amounts are consumed.
Carotenes are not highly flammable, but as organic compounds they can burn at high temperatures.
Thermal decomposition may produce carbon oxides and irritating fumes.
Standard fire safety precautions should be followed.
