carotenoid

carotenoid, any of a group of nonnitrogenous yellow, orange, or red pigments that are almost universally distributed in living things. There are two major types: the hydrocarbon class, or carotenes, and the oxygenated (alcoholic) class, or xanthophylls.

Synthesized by bacteria, fungi, lower algae, and green plants, carotenoids are most conspicuous in the petals, pollen, fruit, and roots (e.g., carrots, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, and citrus fruits) of the flowering plants. They can also be seen in the autumn foliage of deciduous trees and shrubs. In the leaves of green plants, carotenoids serve as accessory pigments in photosynthesis, trapping solar energy and passing it to chlorophyll, the primary photosynthetic pigment.

All animals and protozoans also contain carotenoids, which they obtain by ingestion. Vitamin A, for example, is one of the substances that animals obtain from the ingestion of carotene. Carotenoids also play a major role in the biological coloration of animals, such as the pink-red coloration of salmon and various crustaceans.