Carotene

The term carotene is used for several related substances having the formula C₄₀H_x, which are synthesized by plants but cannot be made by animals. Carotene is an orange photosynthetic pigment important for photosynthesis.

Carotenes are responsible for the orange colour of the carrot for which it is named, and many other fruits and vegetables (for example, sweet potatoes and orange cantaloupe melon). They also (in lower concentrations) impart the yellow colouration to milk-fat, butter, and egg yolk. The typical yellow-coloured fat of humans and chickens is a result of fat storage of carotenes from their diets.