Beets, Betacyanins, Betanins, Betalains
Sources > Beets / Betacyanins / Betanins (from Betalains)
Red beet juice is extracted from the root of the vegetable Beta vulgaris, or the red beet. North American red beets are grown in the Midwest region of the United States and harvested from August to October.
Betanin
Betanin is the main coloring compound present in red beetroot juice color. Historically, it has imparted additional color to wines. The colourings responsible for the red hue of red beet juice are a group of molecules called betalains. This group of pigments contains the red and yellow pigments known as betacyanins and betaxanthins, respectively.
Red beetroot hues vary further depending on the betalains extracted. Betacyanins are magenta pigments, while betaxanthins are yellow pigments. The distribution of extracted pigments varies due to factors such as beetroot cultivar and extraction method. A common extraction method involves a series of size reduction processes followed by hydraulic filtering and condensation. Manufacturers control the extraction parameters to protect the coloring compounds from heat, light, pH and enzymatic.
Advantages
Beets are readily available for food and beverage manufacturers and consumers in North America. Betalains are available in two primary forms:
1) Ground Dehydrated Beets — the dehydrated beet vegetable is ground into a powder
2) Beet Juice — juice from the red beet, which can also be spray dried into powder form
Coloring from red beets is water soluble, and the red beet flavor can easily be masked. Although some other natural colorings have better heat stability than betalains, betalains do have excellent light stability and excellent pH stability. Generally, betalain colors will not fade in light. Unlike anthocyanins, betalains do not change in hue in response to differences in the pH of foods and beverages.
In the following video, colorMaker‘s Stephen Lauro discusses attributes of beets / betalains during a presentation at the Supply Side West exposition.
Chemical Structure (Betanins)
