The world of carotenoids

The Spanish Carotenoid Network, named CaRed, was formed in early 2016 and includes 10 Spanish research groups dedicated to the study of carotenoids –a family of natural pigments that give color to carrots and tomatoes, among other vegetables. An important objective of CaRed is to disseminate the huge potential of carotenoids for the improvement of food quality and health. To that end, a project that resulted in the book The world of carotenoids: colours, food and health was carried out in 2018. This outreach book, available in Catalan and Spanish, solves questions such as: What are carotenoids? What functions do they have in plants? How are they produced? What benefits do they provide in nutrition and health?

The book answers these and other issues in an entertaining and educational way, thanks to the illustrations of Ernesto Llamas, illustrator and PhD student at CRAG, which complement the text by Manuel Rodríguez-Concepción, CaRed coordinator and CSIC researcher at CRAG.

This project has been possible thanks to the Networks of Excellence programme of the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (BIO2015-71703-REDT and BIO2017-90877-REDT).