Distribution of Betalains

Tesoriere, L. et al.. Distribution of betalain pigments in red blood cells after consumption of caems pear fruits and increased resistance of the cells to ex vivo-induced oxidative hemolysis in humans, J. Agric. Food Chem., 53, 1266, 2005. 

As the chemistry, biochemistry, and chemotaxonomic relevance of betalains have been reviewed by several authors (1,13,16-24), the present chapter only briefly summarizes earlier results. Here we concentrate on more recent findings and give a critical survey of the present state of betalain chemistry and the distribution of betalains in plants. 

Further systematic classification at the level of families and subfamilies using the patterns of betalains is possible only in a few cases (see below). The majority of chemotaxonomic work on members of the Caryophyllales has been concentrated on flavonoids (101). More investigations, especially on the basis of sound phytochemical work as well as extensive screening data, for example, with the aid of HPLC, are needed. Table I summarizes the distribution of betalains in the Caryophyllales (only well-characterized compounds are listed). 

As for anthocyanins, betalains are found in vacuoles and cytosols of plant cells. From the various natural sources of betalains, beetroot (Beta vulgaris) and prickly pear cactus (Opuntia ficus indica) are the only edible sources of these compounds. In the food industry, betalains are less commonly used as natural colorants from plant sources than anthocyanins and carotenoids, probably related to their more restricted distribution in nature. To date, red beetroot is the only betalain source exploited for use as a natural food coloring agent. The major betalain in red beetroot is betanin (or betanidin 5-0-P-glucoside). Prickly pear fruits contain mainly (purple-red) betanin and (yellow-orange) indicaxanthin and the color of these fruits is directly related to the betanin-to-indicaxanthin ratio (99 to 1, 1 to 8, and 2 to 1, respectively in white, yellow, and red fruits)." ... 

Tesoriere, L et al., Absorption, excretion, and distribution of dietary antioxidant betalains in LDLs potential health effects of betalains in humans. Am. J. Clin. Nutr., 80, 941, 2004. 

Wohipart, A. and Mabry, T. J. 1968. The distribution and phylogenetic significance of the betalains with respect to the Centrospermae. Taxon 17 148-152. 

Figure 2.21 Structures of betanldln and a typical anthocyanidin, cyanidin, accumulating as various glycosylated structures and their acylated forms. Both compounds exhibit similar max values. Occurrence of these two classes of pigments mutually excludes each other. The betalains are exclusively found in most families of the plant order Caryophyllales, whereas the anthocyanins are ubiquitously distributed in the other families of the Angiosperms.

Bacitracin, 462-463 Basic TLC, 3-4 Beer-Lambert law, 274,282 Betalains, 748-750 distribution, 748 practical experiments, 750 structure, 748 TLC of, 748-749 Biochemical studies, 343 Bioimaging analyzer, 354-355 Biological samples ... 

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