“Carotenoids”  

Carotenoid

  In organic chemistry, is one of a class of tetraterpenoids (C₄₀), formally derived from the acyclic parent, ψ,ψ-carotene by hydrogenation, dehydrogenation, cyclization, oxidation, or combination of these processes. This class includes two divisions the carotenes, xanthophylls and certain compounds that arise from rearrangement of the skeleton of ψ,ψ-carotene or by loss of part of this structure. Retinoids are related but generally excluded.
  In our diet and in our body, the Carotenoids are a class of natural fat-soluble pigments, that have an aliphatic hydrocarbons consisting of a polyisoprene (tetraterpenes) backbone, which generally absorb blue light (400 to 500 nm), found principally in plants, algae, photosynthetic bacteria and eggs.
In our diet and in our body, under usual dietary habits over forty Carotenoids get ingested of which six carotenoids and their metabolites can be found in our tissues.

Two Carotenoid Divisions

In and from nature, there are over 600 different carotenoids—fat-soluble pigments, that provide color to plants, most commonly occur in the all-trans form, split into two major distinct divisions, according to their chemical structure, the xanthophylls (oxygen containing) and the carotenes (pure hydrocarbons without oxygen), with the carotene carotenoids including β-carotene and lycopene and the xanthophyll carotenoids including lutein, canthaxanthin, zeaxanthin, violaxanthin, capsorubin and astaxanthin.
  Examples of common carotenoids and related substances many of which are found in the human diet and body tissues include:

carotenes beta Carotene zeta Carotene Also related: norisoprenoids abscisic acid

Xanthophylls Canthaxanthin Cryptoxanthins Beta-Cryptoxanthin Lutein Astaxanthin Zeaxanthins

retinoids Acitretin Etretinate Fenretinide Isotretinoin Retinaldehyde Vitamin A Tretinoin

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“Xanthophylls (Xanthophyll Carotenoids)”  

Xanthophylls

  In organic chemistry, Xanthophyll are oxygen containing, yellow pigments, that form one of two major divisions of carotenoids usually derived from either an alpha carotene or a beta carotene.
  In nature, the Xanthophyll as oxygenated forms of carotenoids include: lutein, the zeaxanthins, neoxanthin, violaxanthin, α-cryptoxanthin and β-cryptoxanthin.
  The xanthophyll subclass may be divided based on chemical structure into:

hydroxycarotenoids (carotenols)

epoxycarotenoids

misc. xanthophylls

Examples of xanthophyll carotenoids, defined as “any of several yellow to orange carotenoid pigments that are oxygen derivatives of carotenes” include:

luteins

zeaxanthins

beta-cryptoxanthin (β-cryptoxanthin)

Anhydrorhodovibrin Astaxanthin glucoside Caloxanthin carotenal carotenoic acid carotenoid ether carotenol carotenone Deinoxanthin Deoxymyxol epoxycarotenoid Eschscholtzxanthin Flavoxanthin Helenien

Hydroxyspheroidene Hydroxyspheroidenone Hydroxyspirilloxanthin Loroxanthin dodecenoate Mutatochrome Myxol Nostoxanthin Phoenicoxanthin Physalien Rhodopinal Rhodopinal Glucoside Rhodovibrin Rhodoxanthin Sapotexanthin

staphyloxanthin Thiothece-474 1'-Hydroxy-gamma-carotene glucoside 19'-Hexanoyloxyfucoxanthinol 3',4'-Dihydrorhodovibrin 3,4,3',4'-Tetrahydrospirilloxanthin 3,4-Dihydroanhydrorhodovibrin 3,4-Dihydrospirilloxanthin 3-Hydroxyechinenone 4-Hydroxymyxol 4-Ketomyxol 4-Ketonostoxanthin 3-sulfate 6'-Hydroxysiphonaxanthin

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“Carotenoid Skeleton”  

  In nature, carotenoids are tetraterpenoids with a structure may be cyclized at one or both ends, may have various hydrogenation levels, or may possess oxygen-containing functional groups, with the characteristic feature of a the long series of conjugated double bonds forming the central part of the molecule, giving shape, chemical reactivity, and light-absorbing properties. **

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“Phytofluene”  

  The phytochemical, Phytofluene is a precursor carotenoid pigment with an orange color found naturally in tomatoes and other vegetables, with an absorption spectra in the UVA range, with maximal absorption at 348 nm.
  The phytochemical, Phytofluene is a carotenoid precursors to lycopene. **

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