E160a

Beta-Carotene (Carotene)

Last reviewed: 11 May 2026

The orange colour in UK margarine, cheese, juice and cereals — and a vitamin A precursor.

On a UK label

E160a is beta-carotene, the orange pigment found in carrots, sweet potatoes and other orange-yellow plants. The body converts it to vitamin A as needed. EFSA's 2012 re-evaluation set no numerical ADI for E160a in the food-additive use range. One published caveat — for high-dose supplements, not food-additive doses — applies to people who smoke. Details below.

💡 What is Beta-Carotene?

Beta-carotene is a natural orange pigment found in carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, and mangoes. It's what makes carrots orange!

Your body converts beta-carotene into vitamin A as needed. It's called a "provitamin A" – a precursor that becomes the vitamin.

When added to food as E160a, it's extracted from natural sources (carrots, algae) or synthesized to be chemically identical to the natural compound.

What is E160a (Beta-Carotene)?

E160a, known as Beta-Carotene or simply Carotene, is a natural orange-yellow food colouring and provitamin A.

How it's obtained:

Natural extraction – from carrots, palm oil, or algae
Synthetic production – chemically synthesized (molecularly identical to natural)
Fermentation – some beta-carotene is produced by genetically modified bacteria or fungi

Why it's used:

Natural orange-yellow colour – appealing appearance in foods
Vitamin A fortification – adds nutritional value
Antioxidant properties – protects food from oxidation
Safe and natural – consumer preference over synthetic dyes
Stable – doesn't degrade easily in processing

Where is E160a Found?

E160a is used in many foods for both colour and nutrition:

Very Common:

Margarine and butter spreads – creates golden-yellow colour (natural butter colour)
Cheese – especially cheddar and processed cheese (mimics natural colour)
Orange juice – enhances orange colour and adds vitamin A
Breakfast cereals – fortification for vitamin A
Soft drinks – orange and tropical flavoured drinks
Cakes and biscuits – sponge cakes, custard creams
Ice cream and desserts – orange, mango, tropical flavours
Soup mixes – instant soups with orange/yellow vegetables

Nutritional Supplements:

Multivitamins – as a source of vitamin A
Beta-carotene supplements – for vision and skin health
Infant formula – mimics vitamin A in breast milk

Naturally High in Beta-Carotene (No E160a Added):

These foods naturally contain high levels of beta-carotene:

Carrots (8,300 mcg per 100g) – highest source
Sweet potatoes (8,500 mcg per 100g)
Pumpkin (3,100 mcg per 100g)
Butternut squash (4,200 mcg per 100g)
Mangoes (640 mcg per 100g)
Spinach (5,600 mcg per 100g)
Kale (9,200 mcg per 100g)

Beta-carotene as a vitamin A precursor

The body converts beta-carotene to retinol (vitamin A) as required, rather than absorbing it all directly. The conversion is regulated: when vitamin A stores are adequate, beta-carotene conversion slows. This self-regulation is why dietary beta-carotene from food (orange and dark-green vegetables, plus E160a in fortified products) doesn't cause vitamin A toxicity even at intakes that would be toxic if taken as preformed retinol.

UK Reference Nutrient Intakes (NRVs) for vitamin A:

Men: 700 µg/day retinol equivalents
Women: 600 µg/day retinol equivalents
Children: 400–600 µg/day depending on age

The conversion ratio in adults is roughly 12 µg beta-carotene to 1 µg retinol activity equivalent — so vegetable sources of vitamin A require larger intakes by weight than animal sources do.

What the science shows

Toxicity profile

Dietary beta-carotene has very low acute toxicity. The most-discussed visible effect is carotenodermia — a harmless temporary orange tint of the skin from very high carotene intake (whether from supplements or eating a kilogram of carrots a day). It reverses on stopping.

Smokers and high-dose supplements — the CARET and ATBC findings

Two large randomised trials in the 1990s found that high-dose beta-carotene supplements increased lung-cancer risk in current smokers and asbestos-exposed workers:

ATBC trial (Finland, 1994) — 20mg/day beta-carotene supplements increased lung-cancer incidence by 18% in male smokers compared with placebo.
CARET trial (US, 1996) — 30mg/day beta-carotene plus retinyl palmitate increased lung-cancer incidence by 28% in smokers and asbestos workers; the trial was stopped early.

If you smoke: avoid high-dose beta-carotene supplements

People who currently smoke or have a history of asbestos exposure should avoid high-dose beta-carotene supplements (above roughly 15mg/day). This is a clinical recommendation supported by both major UK and international cancer-prevention bodies.

The supplement findings do not translate to dietary beta-carotene at food-additive doses. The amounts of E160a in margarine, cheese, juice or cereals are typically 0.1–1mg per serving — one to two orders of magnitude below the doses used in CARET and ATBC. Eating beta-carotene-rich vegetables (carrots, sweet potatoes, dark leafy greens) is not implicated by the smoker-supplement findings.

Regulatory status

UK / EU: approved as a food colour and antioxidant. EFSA's 2012 re-evaluation set no numerical ADI for the food-additive use range; the agency separately recommended caution on isolated high-dose supplements above 15mg/day for smokers and people with asbestos exposure.

US: FDA classifies beta-carotene as a colour additive Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) for food use.

Labelling: on UK packaging E160a appears as "E160a", "beta-carotene" or "carotene".

Natural vs. Synthetic Beta-Carotene

E160a can be natural (extracted) or synthetic (chemically produced). Are they different?

Chemical Structure:

Natural beta-carotene (from carrots): Same chemical formula
Synthetic beta-carotene: Identical chemical formula
Result: Your body processes them identically

Slight Differences:

Natural sources often contain a mix of carotenoids (alpha-carotene, lutein, zeaxanthin) alongside beta-carotene
Synthetic beta-carotene is pure beta-carotene (all-trans form)
Some argue the mix in natural sources is more beneficial (more research needed)

Natural-source beta-carotene comes alongside a mix of related carotenoids — alpha-carotene, lutein, zeaxanthin — that synthetic beta-carotene doesn't include. Whether that mix matters at typical dietary intakes is unsettled in the literature; eating beta-carotene-rich vegetables remains a robustly evidenced piece of UK dietary guidance for vitamin A.

Track E160a with NutraSafe

Scan UK barcodes to see which fortified products you're eating and how much beta-carotene your diary captures over a week.

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Why Margarine is Yellow (And Cheese is Orange)

E160a is the reason margarine and cheese have their characteristic colours:

Margarine:

Natural butter is yellow because cows eat grass containing carotenoids
Margarine (from vegetable oils) is naturally white/pale
E160a is added to make margarine look like butter
Also adds vitamin A (butter naturally contains vitamin A)

Cheddar Cheese:

Traditional cheddar is orange due to annatto (E160b) or beta-carotene (E160a)
Cheese made from grass-fed cow milk is naturally pale yellow (from carotenoids in grass)
Orange colour added to match traditional appearance and consumer expectation

Beta-Carotene for Vegetarians and Vegans

Beta-carotene is particularly important for those who don't eat animal products:

Why It Matters:

Preformed vitamin A (retinol) is only found in animal products (liver, eggs, dairy)
Beta-carotene is the plant-based source of vitamin A
Vegetarians and vegans rely on beta-carotene for vitamin A

Conversion Rate:

Your body converts beta-carotene to vitamin A at a ratio of about 12:1
You need 12 mcg of beta-carotene to get 1 mcg of vitamin A
This means vegetarians/vegans need to eat more orange and dark green vegetables

Reading a UK label

Look for "E160a", "beta-carotene", or "carotene" in the ingredient list — most often in margarine, cheese (especially cheddar and processed), orange and tropical drinks, breakfast cereals and infant formula.

Last updated: 11 May 2026