Degradation Products of Trans‐β‐Carotene Produced during Extrusion Cooking

Fifteen colored compounds, arising from the degradation of all‐trans‐ β‐carotene in extrusion cooking, were isolated by preparative column chromatography and high performance liquid chromatography (HPCL) and identified using chemical and spectrometric methods: six stereo‐isomers of β‐carotene, one diepoxide derivative, five apo‐carotenals, a polyene ketone, one dihydroxide derivative, and one monohydroxide diepoxide derivative. The HPLC fractionation might be useful in food quality control for varied applications.