Although available from most plant tissues, carotenoids free of other plant pigments are most easily obtained from flowers (marigold), fruits (berries) and root parts (carrots and yellow potatoes), where they are stored in the chromoplasts of the plant cells.

While the carotenes are typically present in uncombined, free form in chromoplast bodies, the xanthophylls are typically present in plant chromoplasts as long chain fatty esters, typically diesters, of acids such as palmitic and myristic acids.