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Carotenoids are essential to microbial, plant, and animal life. The compounds act as protective antioxidants in photosynthetic plants and in organisms--including people--that eat carotenoid-containing foods. As vitamin A precursors, they play an essential role in the visual system. They serve as important colorants of flowers, fruits, and vegetables, such as tomatoes and carrots. And they are marketed commercially for use in a variety of cosmetics and foods. papers "give us a glimpse of what the future holds for carotenoid biosynthesis in hosts amenable to large-scale fermentation and in plants. . . . Ultimately, a combination of methodologies is most likely to lead to more diverse libraries of novel carotenoids and a kaleidoscope of opportunities."
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