Chemical Class: Carotenoids |
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Carotenoids are C40 Isoprenoids consisting of 8 isoprene units. No carotenoid can be synthesized in Mammals, which includes humans.
Carotenoids are split up into two categories, Carotenes and Xanthophylls (formerly called Phylloxanthins). Carotenes are either linear or cyclized hydrocarbons, such as β-carotene, vilaxanthin and neoxanthin, whereas xanthophylls are oxygenated derivatives of carotenes, with the oxygen being present as either an epoxy, keto or hydroxyl group. Examples of xanthophylls are lutein and zeaxanthin. Xanthophylls tend to be more orange-yellow than do the yellower carotenes. |
