β-carotene benefits and production method

β-carotene is a phytochemical that has certain effects on protecting eyesight, anti-oxidation, and reducing the risk of certain diseases. β-carotene is one of the carotenoids, which can be converted into vitamin A in the body. It exists in foods such as carrots, peppers, corn, potatoes, wolfberry, and seabuckthorn.

Health Benefits

Protect eyesight: β-carotene is the precursor of vitamin A and can turn to in the human body with the assistance of certain enzymes. It can effectively remove free radicals produced by metabolism and damage in the eye, improve visual fatigue symptoms, and protect eyesight to a certain extent. Adequate intake of β-carotene can avoid the decline of dark adaptation ability caused by vitamin A deficiency, but at the same time, it is still necessary to avoid damage to vision, such as moderate use of eyes and reduced use of electronic equipment;

2. Anti-oxidation: β-carotene proves to fight against oxidation and can remove free radicals in the body. It is also used to reduce skin sensitivity to ultraviolet light, prevent skin

Photo inducive dots and sunburn to a certain extent, prevent the formation of photosensitive erythema and increase protection. However, if you want to better achieve anti-oxidation, you need to start with ensuring adequate sleep, drinking more water, eating more green vegetables, and doing a good job of sun protection;

3. Reduce the risk of disease: Studies have shown that β-carotene may regulate cell proliferation and apoptosis through various mechanisms to reduce the risk of certain diseases.

However, disease prevention still needs to start with daily diet structure and exercise, and cannot simply rely on the supplement of a certain nutrient element.

Three typical way to produce β-carotene

1）

Through caratene is name after discovered in carrot. But carrot is not the ideal raw material in industrial production due to low yield rate. The more widely usded botacial source is Dunaliella salina.

Dunaliella salina is a single-cell algae with high phyto conversion, fast reproduction, and suitable for cultivation. It belongs to Dunaliella family. It is known to be the salt-tolerant seaweed with the highest content of β-carotene. The production process is as follows:

Algae paste>Salina culture fluid>Dried algae powder>Extraction>Recovery and precipitation by vacuum distillation>Recovery and precipitation after vacuum distillation

2）Blakeslea trispora Fermented

With the continuous development of microbial technology, Nowadays there is mature method to apply fermentated B. trispora is to generate β-carotene. Blakeslea transport is a high-yielding fungus of β-carotene. The product takes only 5-6 days, and the maximum yield rate can reach 3g/above.

B. trispora slant>Seed shake flask>Fermentation tank> Filtration> Extraction> Wet cell drying> Filtration to obtain cell>

Evaporation and crystallization of extract > washing > drying

β-carotene fermented by B. trispora B-trispora can reach as high as 3000mg/L

It is more than 100 times that of natural existence in plants.

The β-carotene structure is mainly trans-isomer, accounting for 80-90%.

fermented β-carotene is more environmentally friendly and safe. That is the reason why it is the mainstream method to produce β-carotene .

3）Chemical sythesis

In addition to natural extraction, β-carotene can also be synthesized chemically . But too many chemical synthesis steps and a large numbe reagents and catalysts to speed up the reaction and improve the yield of the target product introduce side effect, more obstacles on later separation ,purification and the removal of harmful substances.