Epidemiological and clinical studies have shown that dietary intake of carotenoid-rich fruits and vegetables is positively correlated with reduction in age-related eye diseases, atherosclerosis, certain cancers and chronic diseases. Carotenoids consist of unique chemical characteristics and are highly vulnerable to structural modifications, leading to the formation of various derivatives under physiological conditions. The identification of these molecules is necessary before addressing their biological functions. Carotenoid metabolomics is believed to be highly complex to fingerprint due to instability and interference with complex biological matrices. Noteworthy, progress has been made in understanding carotenoid metabolism or its biotransformation in biological samples. In this regard, the chapter highlights the concept of metabolomics and their related bio-analytical techniques pertaining to the detection of carotenoids and their derived products to elucidate their bio-transformation on targeted biological functions. Further, this chapter highlights the various hyphenated analytical tools and their optimization.
Part of the book: Metabolomics