*Department of Biotechnology and Food Analysis, Faculty of Engineering and Economics, Wroclaw University of Economics, Wroclaw, Poland, **Department of Agriculture and Forestry Engineering, College of Agricultural and Forestry Engineering, University of Valladolid, Valladolid, Spain
β-Carotene belongs to a group of more than 600 compounds, jointly called as carotenoids. It has
numerous biological functions in the human body and because human is not able to synthesize
any of them, it is necessary to supply these valuable compounds with food or pharmaceuticals.
Rising, therefore, market demand stimulates the development of its diverse production methods.
Originally β-carotene was recovered from plants by physicochemical extraction and mainly from
carrots. Nowadays β-carotene is mainly produced through chemical synthesis. But quite recently
biotechnology makes a great approach toward β-carotene production as bioactive compounds of
natural origin reveal higher bioaccessibility and higher consumer trust on market.
Published: 01 June 2018
Corresponding Authors:
Engineering and Economics, Wroclaw University of Economics, Ul. Komandorska 118/120, 53-345 Wroclaw, Poland.
E-mail: ludmila.bogacz-radomska@ue.wroc.pl