Chemistry and Biotechnology of Carotenoids

摘要: Carotenoids are one of the most widespread groups pigments in nature and more than 600 these have been identified. Beside provitamin A activity, carotenoids important as antioxidants protective agents against various diseases. They isoprenoids with a long polyene chain containing 3 to 15 conjugated double bonds, which determines their absorption spectrum. Cyclization at or both ends occurs hydrocarbon carotene, while xanthophylls formed by introduction oxygen. In addition, modifications involving elongation, isomerization, degradation also found. The composition food may vary depending upon production practices, post-harvest handling, processing, storage. higher plants they synthesized plastid. Both mevalonate dependent independent pathway for formation isopentenyl diphosphate known. Isopentenyl undergoes series addition condensation reactions form phytoene, gets converted lycopene. lycopene either leads β-carotene its derivative xanthophylls, β-cryptoxanthin, zeaxanthin, antheraxanthin, violaxanthin α-carotene lutein. Even though carotenoid biosynthetic genes cloned identified, some aspects manipulation especially remain poorly understood. order enhance content crop level that will be required prevention diseases, there is need research basic applied aspects.