The chemical reactions and pathways resulting in the breakdown of carotenoids, tetraterpenoid compounds in which two units of 4 isoprenoid residues joined head-to-tail are themselves joined tail-to-tail.
"The chemical reactions and pathways resulting in the breakdown of carotenoids, tetraterpenoid compounds in which two units of 4 isoprenoid residues joined head-to-tail are themselves joined tail-to-tail."@en