The carotenoid family
The difference between the two groups is chemical: xanthophylls contain oxygen, while carotenes are hydrocarbons and do not contain oxygen. Also, the two absorb different wavelengths of light during a plant's photosynthesis process, so xanthophylls are more yellow while carotenes are orange.
What Colour is xanthophyll?
Xanthophylls are yellow pigments that are one of the important divisions of the carotenoid group. The word xanthophylls is made up of the Greek word xanthos, meaning yellow, and phyllon, meaning leaf.
What biological function does xanthophylls have?
Xanthophylls can function as accessory light-harvesting pigments, as structural entities within the LHC, and as molecules required for the protection of photosynthetic organisms from the potentially toxic effects of light.
