β-胡蘿卜素作為植物成分,幾個(gè)世紀(jì)以來一直被用于為食品和化妝品提供黃色至橙色的色素。β-胡蘿卜素可能是自然界中最大的色素家族——類胡蘿卜素中最為人熟知的一種。盡管β-胡蘿卜素儲(chǔ)量豐富且來源多樣,但色素行業(yè)使用的β-胡蘿卜素是通過合成方法制備的。合成技術(shù)相對較新,商業(yè)化生產(chǎn)始于1954年左右。這種形式的β-胡蘿卜素以及類似合成方法制備的角黃素和阿樸-8'-胡蘿卜醛在美國和歐洲被允許用作色素添加劑,通常被稱為“天然等同物”。
Beta-carotene, as a component of plants, has been used for centuries to provide a yellow to orange color to foods and cosmetics. Beta-carotene is probably the best known of the largest family of pigments produced by nature, the Carotenoids. Although abundant and extractable from various sources, the beta-carotene utilized by the color industry is made synthetically. This is a relatively new development, with commercial production starting around 1954. This form of beta-carotene, as well as canthaxanthin and apo-8’-carotenal similarly synthesized, are permitted for use as color additives in the US and Europe and are usually referred to as “nature-identical.”