CHAPTER 10: Identification of Carotenoids and Carotenoid Esters

The reliable identification of carotenoid esters requires expertise on diverse analytical tools, such as liquid chromatography, UV–visible and mass spectrometry. In this chapter, the main UV–visible and mass spectrometry characteristics of free carotenoids and carotenoid esters are presented with the aim of providing a simple guideline containing the key aspects of the carotenoid structure that can be revealed or deduced from this combined information. General aspects of the main mass spectrometer instruments used so far for carotenoid ester analyses are also presented.