β-Carotene (beta-carotene) is an organic, strongly colored red-orange pigment abundant in fungi, plants, and fruits. It is a member of the carotenes, which are terpenoids (isoprenoids), synthesized biochemically from eight isoprene units and thus having 40 carbons.
Dietary β-carotene is a provitamin A compound, converting in the body to retinol (vitamin A). In foods, it has rich content in carrots, pumpkin, spinach, and sweet potato. It is used as a dietary supplement and may be prescribed to treat erythropoietic protoporphyria, an inherited condition of sunlight sensitivity.
β-carotene is the most common carotenoid in plants. When used as a food coloring, it has the E number E160a.: 119 The structure was deduced in 1930.
Isolation of β-carotene from fruits abundant in carotenoids is commonly done using column chromatography. It is industrially extracted from richer sources such as the algae Dunaliella salina. The separation of β-carotene from the mixture of other carotenoids is based on the polarity of a compound. β-Carotene is a non-polar compound, so it is separated with a non-polar solvent such as hexane. Being highly conjugated, it is deeply colored, and as a hydrocarbon lacking functional groups, it is lipophilic. |
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InChI=1S/C40H56/c1- 32(2) 18- 13- 21- 35(5) 24- 15- 26- 36(6) 25- 14- 22- 33(3) 19- 11- 12- 20- 34(4) 23- 16- 27- 37(7) 29- 30- 39- 38(8) 28- 17- 31- 40(39,9) 10/h11- 12,14- 16,18- 20,22- 27,29- 30H,13,17,21,28,31H2,1- 10H3/b12- 11+,22- 14+,23- 16+,26- 15+,30- 29+,33- 19+,34- 20+,35- 24+,36- 25+,37- 27+ |
HRQKOYFGHJYEFS-BXOLYSJBSA-N |
CC(C)=CCC\C(C)=C\C=C\C(C)=C\C=C\C(C)=C\C=C\C=C(C)\C=C\C=C(C)\C=C\C1=C(C)CCCC1(C)C |
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fungal metabolite
Any eukaryotic metabolite produced during a metabolic reaction in fungi, the kingdom that includes microorganisms such as the yeasts and moulds.
plant metabolite
Any eukaryotic metabolite produced during a metabolic reaction in plants, the kingdom that include flowering plants, conifers and other gymnosperms.
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View more via ChEBI Ontology
gamma-Carotene
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KEGG COMPOUND
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γ-carotene
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UniProt
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2066713
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Reaxys Registry Number
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Reaxys
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472-93-5
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CAS Registry Number
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ChemIDplus
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13114888
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PubMed citation
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Europe PMC
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14817276
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PubMed citation
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Europe PMC
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17992006
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PubMed citation
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Europe PMC
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23412054
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PubMed citation
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Europe PMC
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4784609
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PubMed citation
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Europe PMC
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