Lorenzo Zacarías and Mª Jesús Rodrigon (Department of Biotechnology), are co-authors of the article "A global perspective on carotenoids: Metabolism, biotechnology, and benefits for nutrition and health" published in Progress in Lipid Research, This journal had an impact factor of 15,083 in 2019 and it is the top of the “Nutrition and Dietetics” category. The work has already received nearly 200 citations (https://www.journals.elsevier.com/progress-in-lipid-research/most-cited-articles), being the most cited since its publication in 2018.
This review article is the result of the network collaboration of several Spanish universities and CSIC Institutes within the framework of the Spanish Carotenoid Network, which emerged from the Ibero-American Carotenoid Network The authors are also members of the COST EUROCAROTEN Action. focused on the study of carotenoids.
Carotenoids are highly versatile compounds, with important functions in nature. In food they provide color and some are precursors of vitamin A. Their presence in the diet is related to a lower risk of suffering from various diseases. As they are essential in photosynthesis and precursors of hormones and signals in plants, their research will be key to facing the global challenge of producing more sustainable and healthy food.
At IATA, the role of carotenoids in fruit quality has been studied for more than 20 years, mainly in citrus, by using multidisciplinary approaches. Currently, these investigations are being developed within the framework of GECOCIT, a PROMETEO project of the Generalitat Valenciana to research groups of excellence, in collaboration with IVIA researchers, to study the origin and domestication of color in citrus fruits through genomic and molecular strategies.
Outreach on Carotenoids:
Key compounds in nature https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQRixPkmC2I
Importance in food and applications https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gdk-e9-qUE
Comic: https://cared.cragenomica.es/en/outreach/