beta-Carotene | C40H56 – PubChem.
Why is it called beta-carotene?
Beta-carotene is a pigment found in plants that gives them their color. The name beta-carotene is derived from the Latin name for carrot. It gives yellow and orange fruits and vegetables their rich hues. Beta-carotene is also used to color foods such as margarine.
Is beta-carotene an organic compound?
beta-Carotene, also known as b-karotin or β-carotene, belongs to the class of organic compounds known as carotenes. These are a type of unsaturated hydrocarbons containing eight consecutive isoprene units.
What does beta mean in beta-carotene?
Beta carotene is a red-orange pigment found in plants and fruits, especially carrots and colorful vegetables. The name beta carotene comes from the Greek “beta” and Latin “carota” (carrot). It is the yellow/orange pigment that gives vegetables and fruits their rich colors. H.
What functional group is beta-carotene?
Carotenes (e.g., β-carotene from carrots and lycopene from tomatoes) are strictly hydro- carbons. Xanthophylls are oxygenated carotenoids, containing alcohol, carbonyl, or other functional groups. The xanthohylls, lutein, and capsanthin are widely used as colourants and nutrients in the food and animal feed industries.
Why is β-carotene yellow?
The long chain of alternating double bonds (conjugated) is responsible for the orange color of beta-carotene. The conjugated chain in carotenoids means that they absorb in the visible region – green/blue part of the spectrum.
Is beta-carotene an alkene?
β-Carotene, the pigment responsible for the orange color of carrots, is another interesting example of a naturally occurring alkene; it contains 11 carbon-carbon double bonds ( Figure 10).
What does xanthophylls mean?
Definition of xanthophyll : any of several yellow to orange carotenoid pigments that are oxygen derivatives of carotenes especially : lutein.
What is the difference between carotene and beta-carotene?
The main difference between alpha and beta carotene is that alpha carotene contains a single retinyl group, whereas beta carotene contains two retinyl groups.
Is beta-carotene A carotenoid?
β-Carotene is the most studied carotenoid in terms of metabolism and its potential effects on health. Lycopene, lutein, zeaxanthin, and α-carotene have received increasing attention in recent years. Much remains to be learned, however, about the relative metabolic effects of these carotenoids.
Is beta-carotene the same as vitamin A?
Beta-carotene (β-carotene) is a precursor to vitamin A, an essential vitamin at any age, including for cellular health and vision. It is also a powerful antioxidant that may reduce the risk of cancer. Beta-carotene is a precursor to vitamin A. It turns into vitamin A according to the body’s needs.
Why is β-carotene nonpolar?
The structure of beta carotene is shown below. It only contains C-H, C-C, and C=C bonds which are all nonpolar. This means that beta carotene is a nonpolar compound.
What do you mean by carotene?
Definition of carotene : any of several orange or red crystalline hydrocarbon pigments (such as C40H56) that occur in the chromoplasts of plants and in the fatty tissues of plant-eating animals and are convertible to vitamin A — compare beta-carotene.
Why beta-carotene is orange in spectroscopy?
The absorption spectrum below shows that beta-carotene absorbs most strongly between 400-500 nm. This is the green/blue part of the spectrum. So beta-carotene appears orange, because the red/yellow colours are reflected back to us.
What color pigment is carotene?
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).
What is the color of carotene?
Carotenes can be found in many dark green and yellow leafy vegetables and appear as fat soluble pigments, while β-carotene can be found in yellow, orange and red colored fruits and vegetables [44].
What colour is Xanthophyll?
Xanthophylls are yellow pigments that are one of the important divisions of the carotenoid group. The word xanthophylls is made up of the Greek word xanthos, meaning yellow, and phyllon, meaning leaf.
What are alkynes also known as?
major reference. In hydrocarbon: Alkenes and alkynes. Alkenes (also called olefins) and alkynes (also called acetylenes) belong to the class of unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbons. Alkenes are hydrocarbons that contain a carbon-carbon double bond, whereas alkynes have a carbon-carbon triple bond.
Why alkenes are called olefins?
Alkenes are also called Olefins because they form oily liquids on reaction with Chlorine gas.
Are alkenes called olefins?
Alkenes are also called olefins (oil-forming) because the lower members of alkenes form oily products when they are treated with chlorine or bromine.
What are xanthophylls and carotenes?
Definition. Carotene refers to an orange or red plant pigment, including beta-carotene found in carrots and many other plant structures while xanthophyll refers to a yellow or brown carotenoid plant pigment which causes the autumn colors of leaves. Thus, this is the main difference between carotene and xanthophyll.
How do you say xanthophyll?
Are Phycobilins and xanthophylls same?
They are insoluble in water in contrast to phycobilins that are water-soluble. They occur in chloroplasts where they aid in the light absorption for photosynthesis. They are also found in chromoplasts. There are various carotenoids and they are grouped into xanthophylls and carotenes.
How was beta-carotene discovered?
Beta carotene was discovered by the scientist Heinrich Wilhelm Ferdinand Wackenroder, who crystallized it from carrots in 1831. This article looks at: the benefits of beta carotene. which foods contain it.
How much beta-carotene is in A carrot?
“One medium carrot has about 4 milligrams of beta-carotene in it. So if you’re eating 10 carrots a day for a few weeks you could develop it.” Eating a well-balanced diet ensures that you are eating all of the right nutrients ― in the right amount.