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Plant hues: decoding the apocarotenoid color palette
Matteo Nava1,2, Eleonora Fabene1,2, Sarah Frusciante2
1University of Tuscia, Department of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences (DAFNE), Via San Camillo de Lellis, 01100 Viterbo, Italy.
Journal of Experimental Botany
|July 30, 2026
Summary
Pigmented apocarotenoids, derived from carotenoids, play vital roles in plants. This review explores their distribution, biosynthesis, and adaptive significance, highlighting their potential for industrial applications.
Area of Science:
- Plant biochemistry and specialized metabolism.
- Natural product chemistry and biosynthesis.
- Evolutionary biology and ecological interactions.
Background:
- Apocarotenoids are specialized plant metabolites formed by carotenoid cleavage.
- Pigmented apocarotenoids are an understudied subgroup with diverse roles.
- These compounds are involved in plant physiology, ecology, and communication.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review current knowledge on pigmented apocarotenoids.
- To emphasize their distribution, biosynthesis, and adaptive significance.
- To explore their potential applications and future research directions.
Main Methods:
- Critical review of existing literature on apocarotenoids.
- Focus on carotenoid cleavage dioxygenases (CCDs) and their activity.
- Case study analysis of ethnobotanically relevant species.
Main Results:
- Apocarotenoids exhibit organ-specific distribution and are regulated by CCDs.
- These pigments contribute to pollinator attraction, stress tolerance, and allelopathy.
- Several species possess rare apocarotenoids with potential industrial value.
Conclusions:
- Further characterization of apocarotenoids is crucial for understanding specialized metabolism evolution.
- Apocarotenoids hold promise for applications in food, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals.
- Metabolic engineering can enable sustainable biotechnological production of high-value apocarotenoids.
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