Carotenoid is an important natural pigment, which generally exists in animals, higher plants, fungi and algae as yellow, orange or red pigments. 183 1 was separated from carrot roots by chemists, so it was named "carotene". Later, with the development of biochemical technology, a series of natural pigments were isolated and named "carotenoids".

Because carotenoids contain carotene and lutein, these two elements are mainly responsible for absorbing the blue-purple light in the light. Carotenoid is an important natural pigment, which generally exists in yellow, orange-red or red pigments of animals, higher plants, fungi and algae. Carotenoids are also the main source of vitamin A in the body.

Customary nomenclature of carotenoids;

When naming new carotenoids, the discoverers usually choose names that can reflect their sources or characteristics (such as maximum absorption wavelength). Therefore, people call the pigments in carrots and violets "fucoxanthin" and the main pigments in seaweed "fucoxanthin".

These names can be called the customary names of carotenoids. Historically, people have little choice but to choose their customary names, because there is usually a delay of many years between the first isolation of carotenoids and the determination of their structures. Even after people understand its structure, many researchers are reluctant to give up using its idioms, mainly because these idioms are familiar, short and convenient for daily use.