Review: Analysis of carotenoids in orange juice

Aside from the nutritional relevance of some carotenoids owing to their vitamin A activity, these pigments are increasingly drawing the interest of researchers as they may be somehow implicated in the prevention and/or protection against major human diseases. Orange juice is an important source of carotenoids, which, along with its nutritional importance worldwide, have stimulated the development of diverse analytical methodologies for the analysis of these isoprenoid compounds. In this paper, we review different methods used to this end, so that not only researchers but also the industry can choose the most suitable for their purposes. In addition, discussion about particular difficulties of carotenoid analysis in orange juice and research needs are also included.