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Beta-carotene

Beta-carotene is a natural carotenoid widely found in green and yellow vegetables and fruits. Beta-carotene is a tetraterpenoid compound, which consists of four isoprene double bonds. It has one beta-violone ring at each end of the molecule. Two vitamin A molecule can be produced by central break. It has multiple double bonds and conjugates between the two bonds. Molecules have long conjugated double bond chromophores, so they have the property of light absorption and make them yellow. The main forms of beta-carotene are all-trans, 9-cis, 13-cis and 15-cis. There are more than 20 isomers of beta-carotene, which are insoluble in water and slightly soluble in vegetable oil. They are moderately soluble in aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons, easily soluble in chloroform, unstable in chemical properties, and easy to oxidize in light and heating.

Beta-carotene can be produced by chemical synthesis, plant extraction and microbial fermentation. According to different production methods, it can be divided into two categories: chemical synthesis of beta-carotene and natural beta-carotene. At present, most of them are chemicals. Because natural beta-carotene has good anti-chromosomal aberration, anti-cancer effect and strong physiological activity, the price of natural beta-carotene is high. It's twice as much as chemicals.

Beta-carotene is known as the source of vitamin A. Previously synthesized beta-carotene was widely used in food, cosmetics and health products. With the development of toxicology and analytical technology, the research shows that although the purity of beta-carotene synthesized by chemical method is relatively high and the production cost is low, it is easy to incorporate a small amount of toxic chemicals into the products. Therefore, with the continuous improvement of knowledge, natural extraction of beta-carotene will take an active position in the market. But because of the fat-soluble property of beta-carotene, its application scope has been greatly limited. Some studies have enhanced the water solubility of beta-carotene by saponification and emulsification, but this method has a long time, has a greater impact on the stability of beta-carotene, and has a higher cost. The extraction of natural beta-carotene, the organic solvents in most of the methods currently used, and the residual problem of toxic solvents have been restricting the use of extraction products, resulting in more food safety and environmental pollution problems. The extraction of water-soluble beta-carotene has also been reported, but the water-solubility of beta-carotene is poor, usually with the help of enzymes, so the cost is high and the application is poor. Compared with the conventional extraction method, the ultrasonic extraction method has the advantages of simplicity, high extraction rate and short operation time. Therefore, as a new way to extract alcohol-soluble beta-carotene, ultrasonic extraction has good application prospects in this field.

Application of beta-carotene

As a kind of edible oil-soluble pigment, beta-carotene has been warmly welcomed by the food industry because its color can cover all the color systems from red to yellow due to its different concentration. It is very suitable for the development of oily products and protein products, such as margarine, fish pulp refined products, vegetarian products, fast-food noodles and so on.