ABSTRACT
Beta-carotene (6.1) is a pigment found in many fruits and vegetables, including carrots, broccoli, spinach, apricots, and nectarines. It absorbs light in the blue-indigo region of the visible spectrum, režecting red and yellow so that it is orange in colour. Its importance lies in its being a precursor to vitamin A; when eaten, carotene undergoes oxidative cleavage by enzymes, forming two molecules of retinol, vitamin A. This in turn can be oxidised to retinal.
