Carotene: precursor of vitamin A

The two primary isomers of carotene are:
*α-Carotene
*β-Carotene

β-Carotene is the more common form. β-Carotene (C40H56) is a fat soluble plant pigment found in red, orange and yellow vegetables and fruits.

β-Carotene is converted to vitamin A (retinal, retinol, retinoic acid), when the body is in short supply. It is an antioxidant – a compound that blocks the action of activated oxygen molecules that can damage cells.

Vitamin A is essential for the human body in that it assists the body’s immune system and helps battle eye disease, such as cataracts and night blindness, various skin ailments such as acne, signs of aging, and various forms of cancer.

Commercially, β-Carotene is used as a safe food coloring. β-Carotene is the most plentiful of the orange-yellow plant pigments in foods, and it has the highest vitamin A activity.

Because of differences in uptake, storage and chemical processing, only about one-sixth of the β-Carotene in a plant food ends up as vitamin A (retinol) in the body.
Carotene: precursor of vitamin A