The Multiple Forms
The two primary isomers of carotene, α-carotene and β-carotene, differ in the position of a double bond (and thus a hydrogen) in the cyclic group at one end (left in the diagram here).
β-Carotene is the more common form and can be found in yellow, orange, and green leafy fruits and vegetables. As a rule of thumb, the greater the intensity of the orange colour of the fruit or vegetable, the more β-carotene it contains.
Carotene protects plant cells against the destructive effects of ultraviolet light. β-Carotene is an anti-oxidant.
Read more about this topic: Carotene
Famous quotes containing the words multiple and/or forms:
“There is a continual exchange of ideas between all minds of a generation. Journalists, popular novelists, illustrators, and cartoonists adapt the truths discovered by the powerful intellects for the multitude. It is like a spiritual flood, like a gush that pours into multiple cascades until it forms the great moving sheet of water that stands for the mentality of a period.”
—Auguste Rodin (1849–1917)
“For forms of Government let fools contest;
Whate’er is best administered is best.”
—Alexander Pope (1688–1744)