Brief Introduction

Synonyms--- /

Beta-carotene,Betacarotene, β-Carotene, all-trans-β-Carotene

Other Name:all-trans- (8CI), BetaVit, C.I. 40800, C.I. Food Orange 5,  Carotaben, Carotene Base 80S, CoroCare, Cyclohexene, Food Orange 5, KPMK, Lucaratin, Lucarotin, Lucarotin 10CWD/O, Lucarotin 30SUN, Lurotin, NSC 62794, Provatene, Provatenol, Rovimix β-carotene, Serlabo, Solatene

Chemical Name:(all-E)-1,1'-(3,7,12,16-Tetramethyl-1,3,5,7,9,11,13,15,17-octadecanonaene- 1,18-diyl)bis[2,6,6-trimethylcyclohexene]; 1,1'-(3,7,12,16-tetramethyl-1,3,5,7,9,11,13,15,17- octadecanonaene-1,18-diyl)bis[2,6,6-trimethyl-, (all-E)-
Molecular Formula: C40H56

Mol. Wt.: 536.87

Molecular Structure:

The carrot (Daucus carota) is a root vegetable, usually orange, purple, red, white, or yellow in colour, with a crisp texture when fresh. The edible part of a carrot is a taproot. It is a domesticated form of the wild carrot Daucus carota, native to Europe and southwestern Asia. It has been bred for its greatly enlarged and more palatable, less woody-textured edible taproot, but is still the same species.

It is a biennial plant which grows a rosette of leaves in the spring and summer, while building up the stout taproot, which stores large amounts of sugars for the plant to flower in the second year. The flowering stem grows to about 1 metre (3 ft) tall, with an umbel of white flowers that produce a fruit called a mericarp by botanists, which is a type of schizocarp.

Carrots can be eaten in a variety of ways. The simplest way is raw as carrots are perfectly digestible without requiring cooking. Alternatively they may be chopped and boiled, fried or steamed, and cooked in soups and stews, as well as baby and pet foods. A well known dish is carrots julienne. Grated carrots are used in carrot cakes, as well as carrot puddings. The greens are edible as a leaf vegetable, but are rarely eaten by humans, as they are mildly toxic. Together with onion and celery, carrots are one of the primary vegetables used in a mirepoix to make various broths.Baby carrots or mini-carrots (carrots that have been peeled and cut into uniform cylinders) have been a popular ready-to-eat snack food available in many supermarkets.

Carrot juice is also widely marketed, especially as a health drink, either stand-alone or blended with fruits and other vegetables.

The carrot gets its characteristic and bright orange colour from β-carotene, which is metabolised into vitamin A in humans when bile salts are present in the intestines. Massive overconsumption of carrots can cause carotenosis, a benign condition in which the skin turns orange. Carrots are also rich in dietary fibre, antioxidants, and minerals.

Lack of Vitamin A can cause poor vision, including night vision, and vision can be restored by adding Vitamin A back into the diet. An urban legend says eating large amounts of carrots will allow one to see in the dark.

Ethnomedically, the roots are used to treat digestive problems, intestinal parasites, and tonsillitis or constipation.

β-Caroteneis an organic compound - a terpenoid, a red-orange pigment abundant in plants and fruits, peculiarly in carrot. As a carotene with beta-rings at both ends, it is the most common form of carotene. It is a precursor (inactive form) of vitamin A.

The structure was deduced by Karrer et al. In nature, β-carotene is a precursor to vitamin A via the action of beta-carotene 15, 15’-monooxygenase. β-Carotene is also the substance in carrots that colours them orange. β-Carotene is biosynthesized from geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate. Isolation of beta-carotene from fruits abundant in carotenoids is commonly done using column chromatography. The separation of beta-carotene from the mixture of carotenoids is based on the polarity of a compound. Beta-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 very lipophilic.

Sources in the diet: β-Carotene contributes to the orange color of many different fruits and vegetables. Vietnamese gac (Momordica Cochinchinensis Spreng.) and crude palm oil are particularly rich sources, as are yellow and orange fruits, such as mangoes and papayas, orange root vegetables such as carrots and yams and in green leafy vegetables such as spinach, kale, sweet potato leaves, and sweet gourd leaves. Vietnam gac and crude palm oil have by far the highest content of β-carotene of any known fruit or vegetable, 10 times higher than carrots for example. However, Gac is quite rare and unknown outside its native region of SE Asia, and crude palm oil is typically processed to remove the cartenoids before sale to improve the color and clarity.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture lists the following 10 foods to have the highest β-carotene content per serving.

The Carrot Juice Powder (β-Carotene) used as a food additive, is derived from the roots of the plant Daucus carota L..

^FOD025C The Global Market for Carotenoids, BCC Research

Benefits

• Be a source of natural Vitamin A

• Rich in Dietary Fibre and minerals

• Protect and Enhance Vision (β-carotene is metabolised into Vitamin A)

• Anti-oxidants

• Treat Digestive Problem (such as intestinal parasites, constipation)

• Treat tonsillitis

Mechanism

Pro-vitamin A activity

Plant carotenoids are the primary dietary source of pro-vitamin A worldwide, with β-carotene as the most well-known pro-vitamin A carotenoid. Others include α-carotene and β-cryptoxanthin. Carotenoids are absorbed into the small intestine by passive diffusion. One molecule of β-carotene can be cleaved by a specific intestinal enzyme into two molecules of vitamin A.

Absorption efficiency is estimated to be between 9-22%. The absorption and conversion of carotenoids may depend on the form that the β-carotene is in (cooked vs. raw vegetables, in a supplement), intake of fats and oils at the same time, and the current levels of vitamin A and β-carotene.

Symmetric/Asymmetric Cleavage

In the β-carotene molecule, chain between the two toluene rings cleave either symmetrically or asymmetrically. Symmetric cleavage is done by an enzyme called beta-carotene-15, 15’-dioxygenase in the human body. This symmetric cleavage gives two equivalent retinal molecules and each retinal molecule further reacts to give retinol (vitamin A) and retinoic acid. β-Carotene is also asymmetrically cleaved into two asymmetric products. The product of asymmetric cleavage is β-apocarotenal (8', 10’, and 12’). Asymmetric cleavage reduces the level of retinoic acid significantly.

Beta-carotene and lung cancer in smokers

Cigarette smoke increases the asymmetric cleavage of beta-carotene, decreasing the level of retinoic acid significantly. When retinoic acid is liganded to RAR-beta (Retinoic Acid Receptor beta), the complex acts as a binding site for AP1 (Activator Protein 1). AP1 is a protein which turns on cell proliferation when it binds to its binding site on DNA. Therefore, the presence of retinoic acid prevents AP1 from binding to its binding site on DNA. AP1 is no longer expressed, and cell proliferation does not occur. However, no lung damage has been detected in those who are exposed to cigarette smoke and take a physiologic dose beta-carotene (6mg) in contrast to pharmacologic dose (30mg). Therefore, the oncology from beta-carotene is based on both cigarette smoke and high daily doses of beta-carotene.

Safety

Carrot Juice Powder and β-caroteneis safe. Itis non-toxic and is commonly found in the diet.

The most common side effect of excessive β-carotene consumption is carotenodermia, a harmless condition that presents as a conspicuous orange skin tint arising from deposition of the carotenoid in the outermost layer of the epidermis. Chronic, high doses of β-carotene supplements have been associated with increased rate of lung cancer among those who smoke. Additionally, supplemental beta-carotene may increase the risk of prostate cancer, intracerebral hemorrhage, and cardiovascular and total mortality in people who smoke cigarettes or have a history of high-level exposure to asbestos.

Beta-carotene from foods does not seem to have this effect.

Dosage

• The average daily intake of β-carotene is in the range 2-7 mg (as Carrot Juice Powder 200-700mg) , as estimated from a pooled analysis of 500,000 women living in the USA, Canada and some European countries. .

• Consult physicians for different condition specifics.

GNI’s Carrot Juice Powder (Beta-carotene) Features and Benefits:

Carrot Juice Powder (Beta-carotene) is one of GNI's important products, with many advantages as list in the following, produced as our patent-pending process and know-how technology from Daucus carota L.root.

• High purity: over 1%

• NO solvent - residual free

• Pesticide-free

• Light Orange-Red Powder in appearance

• Good water solubility

• High anti-bacteria, and longer shelf life

Product Specifications:

1% Beta-carotene HPLC (Juice Powder)

20:1 (Juice Powder)