Carotene
The orange pigment found in carrots and many fruits and vegetables
No single value: Carotene is a material, and its colour varies. The background shows its family, orange.
Carotene is a group of orange and yellow pigments made by plants, giving colour to carrots, sweet potatoes, and other foods. It is a hydrocarbon with no oxygen atoms, absorbs blue and violet light, and is important in photosynthesis and as a source of vitamin A for humans and some animals.
- Carotene gives carrots and sweet potatoes their orange colour
- It is a key source of vitamin A for humans
- Carotene is fat-soluble and used as a food colouring (E160a)
- First discovered in carrot juice in 1831
- Produced naturally by plants and also made synthetically
What colour is Carotene?
Carotene is a natural pigment that gives many fruits and vegetables their orange or yellow colour. It is a hydrocarbon, meaning it contains only carbon and hydrogen atoms, and is found in several forms, mainly alpha-carotene and beta-carotene. Carotenes absorb blue and violet light, making them appear orange or yellow to the human eye. They are fat-soluble and do not dissolve in water.
Where does Carotene come from?
The name 'carotene' comes from the Latin word for carrot, 'carota', as it was first identified in carrot juice in 1831 by Heinrich Wilhelm Ferdinand Wackenroder. Over the nineteenth century, chemists clarified its structure and distinguished it from similar pigments. Carotene is made by plants, though a few insects can also produce it after acquiring the necessary genes from fungi.
How is Carotene made?
Carotene is produced by plants through a series of chemical reactions starting from isoprene units. It can also be made industrially, either by extracting it from natural sources like algae, fungi, and bacteria, or by chemical synthesis. Major production sites include algae farms in Australia and fungal fermentation in Spain. Synthetic carotene is made using chemical reactions such as the Wittig or Grignard reactions.
Where Carotene is used
Carotene is widely used to add colour to foods such as juice, cakes, butter, and margarine. It is approved as a food additive in many countries, often listed as E160a or 160a. In plants, it plays a key role in photosynthesis and protects tissues from damage. Carotene is also present in animal fats and dairy products, giving them a yellow tint.
Orange around the world
What the orange family means from country to country.
The lowest band of the flag is orange, often called apricot, after the national fruit. The constitution says it stands for the creative talent and hard work of the people.
Politics and protestNature and renewalPrideSource: Flag of ArmeniaThe flag is split corner to corner. The orange half stands for the Buddhist tradition, and the white dragon across the middle for purity.
Sacred and holySource: Flag of BhutanOn 30 September people wear orange shirts to remember the children sent to residential schools. Phyllis Webstad's new orange shirt was taken from her on her first day at one.
Mourning and deathPolitics and protestGriefSource: National Day for Truth and ReconciliationOrange is also the colour of the New Democratic Party. Its sweep of Quebec seats in the 2011 election was called the Orange Wave.
Politics and protestSource: New Democratic PartyThe flag shows the island in copper orange on white. The colour recalls copper, which was mined here in ancient times and may have taken its name from Cyprus.
Politics and protestNature and renewalSource: Flag of CyprusThe orange stripe of the flag stands for Protestants, the followers of William of Orange. In Northern Ireland the Orange Order still marches each 12 July in orange sashes.
Politics and protestSource: Orange OrderShades and relatives of Carotene
There are several forms of carotene, including alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, gamma-carotene, delta-carotene, and epsilon-carotene, which differ in their molecular structure. Beta-carotene is the most common and is especially abundant in orange-coloured foods. Carotenes are related to xanthophylls, which are similar pigments but contain oxygen.
Questions people ask about Carotene
What colour is carotene?
Carotene is an orange or yellow pigment found in many fruits and vegetables, such as carrots and sweet potatoes.
Where does the name carotene come from?
The name comes from the Latin word 'carota' for carrot, as it was first discovered in carrot juice.
What is carotene used for?
Carotene is used to colour foods like juice, cakes, butter, and margarine, and is important in plant photosynthesis.
Is carotene important for health?
Yes, beta-carotene is a source of vitamin A for humans and some animals, which is essential for vision and health.
How is carotene made?
Carotene is made by plants and can also be produced industrially from algae, fungi, bacteria, or by chemical synthesis.
Good reading and sources
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Carotene", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). Rang rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
It may contain mistakes. The swatch is an approximation: named colours are not fixed standards, and every screen shows them a little differently. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-03.
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