The Carotenoids book series provides an introduction to the fundamental chemistry, detailed accounts of the basic methods used in carotenoid research, and critical discussions of the biochemistry, functions and applications of carotenoids. Part 1 discusses the fundamental properties on which the biological functions and effects of carotenoids depend. Part 2 describes important natural functions of carotenoids in all kinds of living organisms.

The Carotenoids book series provides an introduction to the fundamental chemistry, detailed accounts of the basic methods used in carotenoid research, and critical discussions of the biochemistry, functions and applications of carotenoids. The use of carotenoids against diseases is discussed. This volume is to be used in conjunction with the Carotenoids book series and the Carotenoids Handbook.

Carotenoids provides an introduction to the fundamental chemistry of these important compounds, detailed accounts of the basic methods used in carotenoid research, and critical discussions of the biochemistry, functions and applications of carotenoids.

This comprehensive, edited book explores carotenoids and their important functional roles in yeast, bacteria and plants and a profound exposition on the structures of carotenoid molecules, focusing in the first of three parts on the biosynthesis of carotenoids. The regulation of carotenoid biosynthesis in photosynthesis as well as in plant, fruits, storage roots and algae is central to the second part, and discoveries about the function of carotenoids in human health feature in the third and final part. Many helpful illustrations, explanations, overviews and examples help to bring readers up to date on relevant themes including carotenogenic genes, carotenoids in fruits and metabolic engineering. The book explores where carotenoids are synthesized in nature, including in carrots and algae. Contributing expert authors examine enzyme functions and plant models, and analyze the structure of carotenoid molecules. The function of carotenoids in photosynthesis and in photosynthetic organs as well as during fruit ripening are then explored. A whole chapter is dedicated to the latest research on apocarotenoids and further chapters cover interesting and novel themes on plastid development and the epigenetic regulation that affects carotenoid synthesis in plants. The metabolic engineering of carotenoids that has been done in fruits, plants, and seeds is another area that readers can explore, along with evidences on the function of carotenoids in human nutrition, as antioxidants, as in the control of lipid metabolism and in the absorption of carotenoids. This is a highly informative and wide-ranging work which will update researchers in the field, as well as supporting students of plant physiology and biotechnology, as supplementary reading.

Carotenoids: Carotenoid and Apocarotenoid Analysis, Volume 670, the latest release in the Methods in Enzymology series, highlights new advances in the field, with this new volume covering Getting to know carotenoids, Laser capture of tissues for micro-scale carotenoid analyses, Metabolic engineering of carotenoids: procedures for metabolomic characterization, LC-MS analysis of intracellular metabolites for precursors to the carotenoid pathway, Use of E. coli to produce carotenoid standards, HPLC analysis of carotenoids from Bacteria, Purification and development of standards for carotenoid quantification in plant tissues, and much more. Additional sections in this release cover Ultra-High Performance Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry Analysis of Plant Apocarotenoids, Detection and analysis of novel and known volatile plant apocarotenoids, Carotenoid extraction, detection, and analysis in citrus, Strategies For The Separation And Tentative Identification Of Geometrical (Cis/Trans, Z/E) Isomers Of Carotenoids, Use of stable isotopes to study bioconversion and bioefficacy of pro-vitamin A carotenoids, Carotenoid extraction and analysis of blood plasma/serum, and more. - Provides the authority and expertise of leading contributors from an international board of authors - Presents the latest release in the Methods in Enzymology series - Includes the latest information on Carotenoids: Carotenoid and Apocarotenoid Analysis

Carotenoids: Biological Functions of Carotenoids and Apocarotenoids in Natural and Artificial Systems, Volume 674 in the Methods in Enzymology series, highlights new advances in the field, with this new volume presenting interesting chapters on topics such as Ultrafast laser spectroscopic studies on carotenoids in solution and on those bound to photosynthetic pigment-protein complexes, Assessing photoprotective functions of carotenoids in photosynthetic systems of plants and green algae, Fluorescence of carotenoids: probing binding site interactions and conformational motion in carotenoproteins, Resonance Raman: A powerful tool to interrogate carotenoids in biological matrices, and much more. Other chapters in the book cover Engineering the carotenoid biosynthetic pathway to study the function of carotenoids in light-harvesting complexes, Carotenoids as proxies for variations in photosynthesis and phenology in response to environmental and climatic change, Apocarotenoid pigment biosynthesis in non-model plants, Apocarotenoid transport in plants, Screening for apocarotenoid plant growth regulators in Arabidopsis, Effects of herbivory on carotenoid biosynthesis and breakdown, Biosynthesis and action of apocarotenoid plant hormones, and much more. - Provides the authority and expertise of leading contributors from an international board of authors - Presents the latest release in Methods in Enzymology series - Updated release includes the latest information on Carotenoids: Biological functions of carotenoids and apocarotenoids in natural and artificial systems

Carotenoids are one of the most widespread pigment groups distributed in nature; more than 700 natural carotenoids have been described so far. These pigments are known for versatile roles they play in living organisms; however, their most pivotal function is involvement in scavenging of reactive oxygen species and photoprotection. In the same time, carotenoids as natural pigments with important biological activities, such as antioxidant and provitamin A activity, have a great potential in the food, feed and pharmaceutical industries. They can be either extracted from plants and algae or synthesized by various microorganisms, including bacteria, yeasts, filamentous fungi and microalgae.