Color beets

Beetroot juice-based colors Beet powder, E 162 0.35% betanin Red beet juice, maltodextrin Bluish red Condiments, gelatin products, fruit preparations, sauces, candies, power beverage products... 

Nitrates are found in fairly high concentrations in beets, spinach, kale, coUards, eggplant, celery, and lettuce. AdditionaHy, nitrates and nitrites are commonly used in the curing solutions of bacon, ham, and other cured meats. In cured meats, nitrates and nitrites control the growth of microorganisms, particularly Clostridium botulinum, and also serve as color preservatives. 

A complete survey of the different types of beer with which one might be confronted during a worldwide trip is almost impossible. Various conditions such as tradition, taxation, and other peculiarities have resulted in the beet market of today, ie, numerous types varying in strength, color, alcohol content, and bitterness. 

Exempt colorants are made up of a wide variety of organic and inorganic compounds representing the animal, vegetable, and mineral kingdoms. Some, like -carotene and 2inc oxide, are essentially pure factory-produced chemicals of definite and known composition. Others, including annatto extract, cochineal extract, caramel, and beet powder are mixtures obtained from natural sources and have somewhat indefinite compositions. 

Dehydrated Beets. This color additive is defined as a dark ted powder prepared by dehydrating sound, mature, good quality, edible beets. 

Beet toots contain both ted pigments (betacyanins) and yellow pigments (betaxanthins), known collectively as betalains. Generally, the betacyanin content of beets fat exceeds that of the betaxanthins. Of the betacyanins present, 75—95% is betanin [7659-95-2] (41) (EEC No. E 162), making it the principal pigment ia beet colorant. 

Beet extract is also used as a colorant. Extract is sold as either a concentrate prepared by evaporating beet juice under vacuum to a total soHds content of 40—60%, or as a powder made by spray-dryiag the concentrate. Both products usually contain ascorbic or citric acid as a stabilizer, and a preservative such as sodium propionate. On a dry-weight basis, beet extract typically contains between 0.4 and 1.0% betanin, 80% sugar, 8% ash, and 10% cmde proteia. 

Beet colorant readily dissolves ia water and water-based products. It is reasonably stable when used from pH 4 to pH 7, and it is adequately light stable. However, beet colorant does degrade readily at temperatures as low as 50°C, particularly when exposed to air or light. It is most stable to heat ia the range of pH 4.0—5.0. Because of the carbohydrates present ia beet colorant, it tends to carry the natural flavor of beets. 

Alone, beet colorant produces hues resembling raspberry or cherry. When used ia combination with water-soluble annatto, strawberry shades result. 

In addition to the U.S. certified coal-tar colorants, some noncertified naturally occurring plant and animal colorants, such as alkanet, annatto [1393-63-17, carotene [36-884] C qH, chlorophyll [1406-65-17, cochineal [1260-17-9] saffron [138-55-6] and henna [83-72-7], can be used in cosmetics. In the United States, however, natural food colors, such as beet extract or powder, turmeric, and saffron, are not allowed as cosmetic colorants. 

FIGURE 2.4.2 Production scheme of a coloring foodstuff (left) and a food colorant (right) from red beet. 

Most importantly, a clear differentiation between color preparations derived from natural sources requiring E number declarations (i.e., E 162 for beet red) and coloring foodstuffs derived from typical food commodities should be made (Figure 2.4.2). For the latter, only physical unselective extraction based on oil or water followed by concentration through heating is allowed, following the recent trend for clean-labelled food. ... 

During fermentation, the betacyanins turned out to be more stable than the betaxanthins, which is assumed to be due to their thermal stability rather than different tendencies of pigments toward microbial degradation. Besides these biological tools, beet extracts may also be purified by column chromatographic techniques. After removal of sugars, salts, and phenolics, the nature-derived color preparation will, however, require E number labeling. ... 

Sobkowska, E., Czapski, J., and Kaczmarek, R., Red table beet pigment as food colorant. Int. Food Ingred., 3, 24, 1991. 

Betalains have shown strong antioxidant activities in biological environments such as membranes and LDLs," -" suggesting that the consumption of betalain-colored foods may exert protective effects against certain oxidative stress-related diseases (i.e., cancers) in humans. Beetroot has been used as a treatment for cancer in Europe for several centuries. The high content of betanin in red beetroot (300 to 600 mg/kg) may be the explanation for the purported cancer chemopreventive effects of beets. 

The fortunate constellation of scientists at Wisconsin facilitated further achievements toward increasing pigment content in red beets. In a recurrent selection program, betalain contents of red beet crops were enhanced by 200%. This example should encourage both food scientists and plant breeders to join forces and invest in the improvement of promising color crops. 

Swiss chard, also known as foliage beet, silver beet, or perpetual beet, is mostly known as a green-white vegetable the colored cultivars are less widespread. 

Betalains have recently regained importance due to continuing interest in natural food colorants. Currently, red beet is the only food source commercially exploited, although amaranth, Swiss chard, yellow beet, and cactus fruit represent promising... 

Besides their interesting color application values, betalainic plants are also worthwhile from a nutritional standpoint. Research on this topic has recently been resumed with great scientific vigor in both in vitro and in vivo studies on red beets, amaranth, red-colored Swiss chard, red-violet pitahayas, and especially cactus pears. ° In the future, betalainic color crops will be benchmarked because of their pigment structure and quantity and also because of the individual and synergistic activities of their components such as colorless phenolics, amino compounds, peptides, proteins, and hydrocolloids. 

Megard, D., Stability of red beet pigments for use as food colorant a review. Foods Food Ingred. J., 158, 130, 1993. 

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