History
The bright colours found in nature and the molecules which cause them
have always fascinated organic chemists. The earliest studies on carotenoids
date back to the beginning of the 19th century. Beta-carotene was
first isolated by Wackenroder in 1831, and many other carotenoids were discovered
and named during the 1800s, although their structures were still unknown.Not until 1907 was the empirical formula of beta-carotene, C40H56, established by Willstatter and Mieg. The structure was elucidated by Karrer in 1930-31. This was the first time that the structure of any vitamin or provitamin had been established, and he received a Nobel prize for his work.
Steenbock suggested in 1919 that there could be a relationship between beta-carotene and vitamin A. The concept of provitamins (molecules which are converted into vitamins by the body) was entirely new, and proved to have great significance scientifically and commercially.
The first total syntheses of beta-carotene were achieved in 1950, and Roche started producing it commercially in 1954. Various studies were carried out throughout the 1970s-80s to determine its suitability for use in food, and its activity in the body. In the early '80s it was suggested that beta-carotene might be useful in preventing cancer, and it was found to be an antioxidant. More recently beta-carotene has been claimed to prevent a number of diseases, including cystic fibrosis and arthritis, and there is a flourishing trade in vitamin supplements containing beta-carotene.
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