A comprehensive review on the colorless carotenoids phytoene and XXXX .

@entity36428 @entity1 @entity523 @entity10786 @entity14319
UNASSIGNED: Carotenoids and their derivatives are versatile isoprenoids involved in many varied actions, hence their importance in the agri-food industry, nutrition, health and other fields. All carotenoids are derived from the colorless carotenes phytoene and @entity36428 , which are oddities among carotenoids due to their distinct chemical structure. They occur together with @entity14319 in @entity523 and other @entity14319 -containing foods. Furthermore, they are also present in frequently consumed products like oranges and @entity10786 , among others. The intake of phytoene plus @entity36428 has been shown to be higher than that of @entity14319 and other carotenoids in Luxembourg. This is likely to be common in other countries. However, they are not included in food carotenoid databases, hence they have not been linked to health benefits in epidemiological studies. Interestingly, there are evidences in vitro, animal models and @entity1 indicating that they may provide health benefits. In this sense, the study of these colorless carotenes in the context of food science, nutrition and health should be further encouraged. In this work, we review much of the existing knowledge concerning their chemical characteristics, physico-chemical properties, analysis, distribution in foods, bioavailability and likely biological activities.
