Carotenoids for Human Nutrition

Carotenoids are well known as colorant for beverage and food applications. Color is often the first sensory interaction a consumer has with a product, prior to tasting or smelling it. Carotenoids help you create an alluring, visually appetizing product with brilliant orange-red hues. Beta-carotenes and most other carotenoids have two independent effects in humans: they are a source of vitamin A and have an antioxidative effect. As provitamin A it can enzymatically be converted into retinol on demand. Furthermore, as an antioxidant they are able to scavenge aggressive free radicals or quench singlet oxygen. With these mechanisms cellular damages are reduced. Free radicals affect the membranes, proteins and the DNA. In the food industry it is mainly used as a colourant or to fortify food with a provitamin A source, because beta-carotene has better technical characteristics.

For food colouring (E 160a) with a yellow-orange nuance or as provitamin A it is recommended to use beta-carotene emulsions. The colouring effect helps for example to standardize the colour of the product. It is often used in foods like oils, fats, margarine, butter, processed cheese, milk replacement products, ice cream, soups, sauces and egg products. The beta-carotene products in powder form can be suggested for applications in instant powder drinks, confectionary, candied fruits, biscuits, chewing gums, soup powders, fermented milk products, pasta etc. Different concentrations result in different colour nuances. beverage applications, e.g. in fruit juices, fruit beverages and lemonades, BTC is offering a cold-water-dispersible product range. The different concentrations of these products allow the colouring of yellow to orange and red. Naturally sourced: We offer a wide range of different mixed carotenoids, which are sourced from the algae “Dunaliella salina”.