Final answer:
Beta-carotene is perceived as orange because it absorbs light in the blue region of the visible spectrum and reflects longer red-yellow wavelengths.
Step-by-step explanation:
Beta-carotene is perceived as orange. This is because beta-carotene, a pigment with a system of 11 conjugated double bonds, has an absorption spectrum that shows it absorbs light primarily in the blue region of the visible spectrum. Consequently, it reflects and transmits longer wavelengths that are in the red-yellow region, which combined give us the color orange. The color we see is due to the way our cones in the eyes perceive the different wavelengths that are not absorbed by the pigment.