A provitamin A carotenoid with roughly half the activity of beta-carotene.
Every figure here is per 100 g of the food, not per serving. That makes foods comparable to each other, but it is not how anyone eats: 100 g of a dried spice and 100 g of a leafy green are very different portions, so a high position in this list does not tell you what a meal contributes.
Nutrient values are per 100 g of the USDA reference entry named on this page and vary with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.
No FDA Daily Value is established for alpha-carotene, so no % DV is shown.
24 entries with a measured alpha-carotene value, highest first.
Daucus carota subsp. sativus
The taproot of a cultivated umbellifer, orange in most modern varieties because of selective breeding for carotene. Purple,…
Cucurbita moschata
A winter squash with dense orange flesh and a hard tan skin, stored for months after harvest. Its carotenoid content rises during…
Capsicum annuum
Ground dried Capsicum annuum peppers, ranging from sweet to hot and sometimes smoked over oak. The USDA entry is per 100 g of the…
Solanum lycopersicum
The fruit of a nightshade plant, used culinarily as a vegetable. Its red colour comes from lycopene, which becomes considerably…
Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris
A leafy form of the same species as beetroot, grown for its leaves and thick stalks rather than its root. The coloured stems owe…
Gallus gallus domesticus
The fat-soluble half of the egg, carrying essentially all of its fat, cholesterol, fat-soluble vitamins, choline and carotenoid…
Coriandrum sativum
The fresh leaf of Coriandrum sativum, the same plant that yields coriander seed. A well-documented genetic variation in olfactory…
Brassica oleracea var. capitata
A dense-headed Brassica oleracea cultivar, eaten raw, cooked or fermented. Red varieties carry anthocyanins that change colour…
Musa acuminata
The fruit of a large tropical herb, harvested green and ripened after picking. Ripening converts most of its starch into sugars,…
Brassica oleracea var. italica
The immature flower heads and stalks of a cultivated Brassica oleracea. It is the most-studied source of glucoraphanin, the…
Persea americana
A large single-seeded berry with dense, oily flesh, unusual among fruits for being mostly fat rather than carbohydrate. It ripens…
Pisum sativum
Immature seeds of the pea plant, eaten fresh or frozen while still sweet and starchy rather than dried. Unlike the dried pulses…
Capsicum annuum
Non-pungent cultivars of Capsicum annuum, harvested green or left to ripen to red, yellow or orange. Ripening changes their…
Origanum vulgare
The dried leaf of Origanum vulgare, dominated by the phenols carvacrol and thymol. The USDA entry is per 100 g of dried leaf,…
Rubus idaeus
A hollow aggregate fruit made up of many small drupelets, harvested from thorny Rubus canes. Fragile enough that most of the crop…
Piper nigrum
The dried unripe fruit of the Piper nigrum vine, used whole or ground. The USDA entry is per 100 g of ground pepper, whereas a…
Bos taurus
The metabolic and storage organ of cattle, and consequently one of the most nutrient-concentrated foods in the human diet by a…
Citrus x sinensis
The sweet orange, a hybrid citrus grown commercially on every inhabited continent. Most of the world crop is pressed for juice…
Gallus gallus domesticus
A small, soft organ meat with a milder flavour and finer texture than beef liver, which is why it dominates pâtés and parfaits.…
Pistacia vera
The green seed of a small desert tree, usually sold roasted in a split shell. The USDA reference entry is for the raw kernel…
Mangifera indica
A tropical stone fruit in the cashew family, with hundreds of cultivars differing sharply in fibre, sweetness and aroma. Eaten…
Asparagus officinalis
The young shoots of a perennial lily relative, harvested in spring. White asparagus is the same plant grown covered so the spears…
Ipomoea batatas
A starchy storage root in the morning glory family, unrelated to the potato. Flesh colour ranges from white through orange to…
Brassica oleracea var. gemmifera
Small axillary buds that grow along a thick stalk, another cultivar of Brassica oleracea. Modern varieties have been bred for…