<unk>  is an organic, strongly coloured red-orange pigment abundant in fungi, plants, and fruits. It is a member of the<unk> s, which are terpenoids (isoprenoids), synthesized biochemically from eight isoprene units and thus having 40 carbons. Among the<unk> s,<unk>  is distinguished by having beta-rings at both ends of the molecule.<unk>  is biosynthesized from geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate. In some Mucoralean fungi,<unk>  is a precursor to the synthesis of trisporic acid.<unk>  is the most common form of<unk>  in plants. When used as a food coloring, it has the E number E160a. The structure was deduced by Karrer et al. in 1930. In nature,<unk>  is a precursor (inactive form) to vitamin A via the action of beta-carotene 15,15'-monooxygenase. Isolation of<unk>  from fruits abundant in<unk> ids is commonly done using column chromatography. It can also be extracted from the beta-carotene rich algae, Dunaliella salina. The separation of<unk>  from the mixture of other<unk> ids is based on the polarity of a compound.<unk>  is a non-polar compound, so it is separated with a non-polar solvent such as hexane. Being highly conjugated, it is deeply colored, and as a hydrocarbon lacking functional groups, it is very lipophilic.
Β-Carotene
Epoetin beta
Retinol
Retinoid
SimThyr
Tocopherol
Phytosterol
Psymberin